


S.O.S. d'un terrien en détresse

by TheGardenFairy



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Historical, Alternate Universe - Medieval, Angst with a Happy Ending, Animal Death, Christianity, Eventual Smut, M/M, Middle Ages, Mingyu has feelings he doesn't know what to do with, OR IS HE, Period-Typical Homophobia, Slow Burn, Suicide Attempt, Villager!Mingyu, Wonwoo is a witch, brace youselves, other idols appear, this is a ride
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-15
Updated: 2020-06-29
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:08:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 129,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23671333
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheGardenFairy/pseuds/TheGardenFairy
Summary: Wonwoo lives in a village that refuses to see him. One day, Mingyu opens his eyes.This is the SOS of an earthling in distress.
Relationships: Jeon Wonwoo/Kim Mingyu
Comments: 224
Kudos: 512





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> weLCOME.  
> This is a long fic, but WORRY NOT because it is complete. All I have to do is edit and upload. 
> 
> This is an au that has nothing to do with middle-age Korea. If I had to place it somewhere, it would be in Europe, somewhere with a lot of green mountains. Christianity is the religion I am most familiar with, that is why I used it in this fic.
> 
> That’s all you need to know, be mindful of the warnings in the tags and get ready, because this is a riDE.

"I spy something. Its colour is..." Mingyu lazily trailed off.

He was laying on a spot of green grass beneath an orange tree that wasn't in bloom yet. Orange trees bloomed in winter. There were still a few months to go by until that time came. For now, Mingyu enjoyed the precious shelter from the still burning September sun the tree provided him.

A gentle breeze was blowing on his cheeks. It carried the faint scent of the village's market before him. There was the subtle smell of freshly plucked vegetables and newly baked bread. There was also the more unpleasant smell of raw meat. It was freshly delivered from the town today.

Mingyu always thought that a farmers' village like theirs didn't have the need to import more meat. It took too long for the merchants to reach their remote village, almost at the top of the mountain. The meat and cheese rarely managed not to spoil by the time they were in the stalls. But the people thought it was some kind of luxury to buy stuff directly from the town. It was the one time they felt equal to the high-class residents beyond the mountain, even if they were still dressed in rugs incomparable to the fine fabrics the townspeople wore.

"Its colour is...?" Minghao elbowed him to bring him back to their game.

"Right." Mingyu glanced at his friend beside him. "It's colour is..." he quickly run his eyes over the multiple objects in the market, "...green." he said in the end.

"Is it a pear?" Minghao didn't hesitate to answer.

He pointed at a stall at the far end of the market, where someone had set up various kind of fruits to sell. Mingyu hadn't even noticed him from so far away.

"No it isn't." he replied.

"Is it celery?" Minghao pointed at another stall.

"No it isn't. Are you hungry perhaps?" Mingyu chuckled.

"Hmm." Minghao took a moment before making another guess. "Is it edible?"

"No."

"Is it the grass we're laying on?"

Mingyu smiled. His friend knew him too well. "Maybe."

"Every time you try to be sneaky, you just end up being predictable." Minghao smirked.

"Lies."

"My turn." Minghao elbowed him again. "I spy something. Its colour is green."

"Is it a pear?" Mingyu asked.

"No."

"Is it celery?"

" _No_."

"Is it the grass we're laying on?"

"Mingyu, focus." Minghao grabbed his shoulder and turned around.

It was too peaceful for Mingyu to focus. Some chicken could be faintly heard from the distance, their noises mixing with the voices of the people. Mingyu found it hard to focus to their game when he could fall asleep like that.

"Is it Heechul's ugly hat?" Mingyu asked and Minghao laughed.

"No, but shit, look at it. I love it." he said.

"Of course you do. Wait!" Mingyu suddenly got an idea.

He sat up and looked down at his friend. As he had thought, he was wearing a deep green shirt. They have been together all day, but Mingyu only noticed it now. He needed to work on his observation skills. Nevertheless, he smiled smugly and pointed at the other's chest.

"Is it perhaps your shirt?" he pretended to be uncertain.

Minghao slapped his pointing hand away. "You're not the only one allowed to be sneaky here." he said and stuck his tongue out.

"And you call _me_ predictable. You've been picking random pieces of clothing for five rounds now." Mingyu said with an eye roll.

"Whatever. It's your turn." Minghao said, stretching his hands above his head.

"I spy something. Its colour is..." Mingyu turned to the market again.

He contemplated actually picking Heechul's hat for a moment, but if Minghao found it he would call him predictable again. He needed something the was sticking out, so his friend would think it would be too easy of a guess and skip over it. That was the strategy that Minghao, who was always so focused on details, usually fell for. He was the type of person that couldn't see the forest for the trees.

So, there was that steaming cherry pie that lady Sooyoung had just pulled out of the oven that literally everyone who was passing by it took a moment to look at. There was little Jaemin, who was playing around with a dog and had gotten mud all over his clothes. Minghao was already looking at him with furrowed eyebrows, probably pitying the mother that had to clean that off. Then, there was Wonwoo walking down the dirt road of the market, who would have stuck out like a sore thumb even if he wasn't carrying two wooden boxes that looked heavier than his skinny arms could ever be able to carry. Everyone had learned to ignore him as he run small errands around the village. This was perfect to trick Minghao.

"No colour. It's something that is moving right now." Mingyu said in the end.

"Do I have a time limit?" Minghao asked.

"I'll tell you if it gets out of sight." Mingyu said and Minghao sat up as well to scan their surroundings better.

His eyes squinted to the furthest places of the market, and Mingyu wanted to laugh at him. That's what he got for always overthinking.

"Is it that cart with fabrics that is moving towards the houses?" Minghao asked.

"No." Mingyu couldn't even see what he was talking about.

"Is it that potato sack that Namjoon is carrying?"

"Nope."

"Ugh... Is it Jaemin with the dog? Because if it is, I swear..." Minghao turned to look at Mingyu threateningly.

"No, it isn't! Did you think I was going to be so predictable?" Mingyu laughed awkwardly, pretending that it hadn't been one of his options.

"I know that laugh. I'm close to it, no?" Minghao said and limited his search around the young boy, without waiting for Mingyu's answer.

Mingyu felt threatened, and his eyes instinctively flickered over at Wonwoo to make sure his target was still acting normal and wouldn't do anything to grab Minghao's attention. His clothes were tattered and old like usual, and his black hair was a sweaty mess. He was still somehow balancing those two boxes, even though they looked bigger than him. Whoever paid him for this, should have at least had the decency to let him carry them one at a time.

Not that Mingyu cared. Wonwoo was better off by himself. They had all agreed on it the moment he had returned to the village, about three years ago.

"Aha, I got you!" Minghao exclaimed and pointed at Mingyu's eyes, startling him back to the game.

Shoot. Of course Minghao would have followed his eyes. They had led him right to the target. Mingyu internally face palmed at his own stupidity.

"Is it perhaps the weird witch boy?" Minghao pretended to be uncertain, most likely to mock Mingyu's previous win.

"If you say that I was predictable again..." Mingyu glared at him.

"No actually, this time you were just being a moron by leading me right onto him." Minghao cackled. "I got it without any hints too. I'm so winning this!"

"Shut up, you're not winning anything! Your turn." Mingyu was feeling fired up.

"I spy something." Minghao didn't hesitate to continue. "It's colour is-"

"Just what do you think the two of you are doing?" they were interrupted by a female voice behind them.

They both jumped in surprise at being caught lazing around. Mingyu didn't know how his mother always managed to sniff them out when they did something they weren't supposed to.

"Minghao, are the pigs going to feed themselves today? Mingyu, did you decide that watering the trees was not necessary after that blasted heatwave yesterday?" the woman scolded them.

"I'm sorry ma'am..." Minghao lowered his head.

"None of that! No food until you complete your jobs!" she said, hitting the backs of both boy's heads.

"But mother-" Mingyu whined.

" _None of that!_ " she punctuated every word. "You're grown men now, and I didn't raise slackers!"

Mingyu gave her a shaky smile. His mother was wearing a red dress today, torn at the edges from walking through the dirty fields. She had a white apron on with that was already stained. Her old black shoes were muddy, but she walked proudly in them. Her curly hair was disheveled, falling in pieces above her wrinkled forehead.

Mingyu's mother was a farmer's girl, born and raised. She had spent her youth cultivating crops, washing clothes, cleaning her house and cooking for her family. She was a tough woman who wore her heart on her sleeves. The hardships had made her a bit close minded and traditional, but fiercely caring and protective, with a compassion that was unrivaled.

That was what had led her to take little Minghao in, seventeen years ago, when his parents perished in an unfortunate mining accident. Mingyu was biologically an only child, but he had grown up with a brother ever since he was three years old. Minghao might have moved out to a place of his own when he was sixteen and able to support himself, but Mingyu's mother always made sure to have extra food for him and supply him with more clothes and warm blankets every winter.

Mingyu admired his mother for it as much as he was thankful to her. His life would have been a lot emptier growing up without Minghao to cause trouble with. They were twenty now, and Minghao was still his closest friend.

"We'll get right to it then, ma'am." Minghao grabbed Mingyu's arms and made them both bow in front of her. "We won't disappoint you."

"Let's hope you won't." she huffed and walked towards the market, with a basket ready to be filled with vegetables for tonight's dinner.

Mingyu made eye contact with Minghao and they silently agreed that their game was over. It would be bad if they got hungry later but had no food to fill their bellies with.

They hurried towards their family's lands, but before they could leave the market, they heard the giggles of some girls who have witnessed the scene. They were standing behind a stall that sold fabric, smiling at costumers and wearing their best clothes. Admittedly, they weren't much fancier than what Mingyu's mother wore, but their youthful faces made them a lot more pleasant to look at, and therefore more likely to attract customers.

"Haohao, be careful with the pigs, you wouldn't want your shoes to get dirty." one of them Mingyu recognized as Kyulkyung called to his friend.

"God forbid." Minghao chuckled along with her.

If Mingyu was Minghao's adopted brother, then Kyulkyung was his adopted sister. They had gotten along the best ever since they were all kids. The other girls behind her were more like strangers to Mingyu. He knew them all of course, their village was small and everyone knew each other, but after the age when they all played around in the dirt passed, there was some kind of invisible separation between the boys and the girls.

Only now that they were older was this gap between them starting to get bridged. There was one girl, Nayoung, who always blushed around Mingyu. Even now, her friends were subtly elbowing her, trying to get her to say something. But the poor girl merely looked at Mingyu with flushed cheeks, too shy to shout something at him like Kyulkyung casually did with Minghao.

Mingyu winked at her as he passed by anyway. He could hear the girls' high-pitched voices getting louder behind his back, and Minghao's laughter accompanied him all the way to their farm. It was time for work then. No more slacking around and flirting with girls he didn't really know and didn't really care about.

There were no pretty orange trees to shield him from the morning sun anymore. The grass had turned into soil as he walked towards the well to pull water up. It would take him hours to water every apple tree his family owned one bucket at a time. At least the summer had passed, and with September came the autumn. The weather was only going to get colder and colder now. Mingyu couldn't wait for the rain season to do his work for him.

He grasped the first bucket of water, out of the many that were going to follow, and let out a deep sigh. Even the breeze of air, that had been so pleasantly dancing around him under the orange tree, had turned into warm humidity under the sun. The chickens sounded nearer than before, and there was no buzzing from the busy market. Mingyu wished he was still around people to keep him company.

He looked at his reflection on the rippling water he was holding at his chest. He had tanned during the summer, his brown hair was a bit lighter. He smiled at himself encouragingly, and with thoughts of pretty orange trees above him and wet grass beneath his fingers, he finally got to work.

~~

The sun had almost set when Mingyu sat at his home's dinner table, exhausted but satisfied. Next time, it would be Minghao's turn to water the apple trees and he would have to feed the animals, which was a much easier job in Mingyu's opinion.

Minghao was already sitting at the seat opposite his, looking refreshed after his bath. Mingyu couldn't wait to eat and clean himself up as well. One of the perks of September was the water wasn't very cold yet and he wouldn't freeze to death.

Their family's small tub was located outside, behind their house, and hidden behind some logs of wood. It was one of the better ones of the village. Not everyone had the luxury of owning a tub. Most just had to pour water above their heads and wash the soap away to clean themselves. The tub was the one luxury Minghao hadn’t been able to leave behind him when he left their house.

"Food is ready!" Mingyu's mother yelled from the kitchen.

Mingyu instinctively sat a little straighter when she entered the room with a huge pot of vegetable soup. She placed it in the middle of the round table, and Mingyu almost drooled at the sight of it. There was steam coming from the open lid, filling the room with the warm scent of well-cooked food. Minghao's belly made a loud grumbling noise. Both Mingyu and his mother turned to him with mirroring snorts.

"What can I say? I'm always hungry for your food, mother." Minghao shrugged with an innocent smile.

Mingyu's mother ruffled his hair before she disappeared back into the kitchen. Before she could return, the wooden stairs creaked as someone begun descending them.

Mingyu glanced behind him. His house was one of the larger ones of the village, with two floors to show off. The living room which they were in was the biggest room of the house. His family ate all their dinners there.

Mingyu never liked that room too much. It was the emptiest room in his house, it felt the coldest. There was a fireplace at the corner, but it was more for show, like the entire house was built for. There were a few pieces of furniture scattered around, some chairs, one smaller table, and the walls were decorated with cloths Mingyu's mother has knitted by hand. They were impressive works, one depicting a large hill with white ships scattered across it, and a clear blue sky that shone light upon them.

The other was a picture of the Last Supper. It was dark and intimidating, and it was right above their dinner table. It almost overshadowed the warmth that was coming from the only other room on the ground floor, his mother's kitchen. Mingyu always thought it was too pretentious of his parents to put it right above the place they usually ate. He knew they only meant to inspire faith in their children, to make them feel grateful for what they ate and cherish it, because Jesus has sacrificed himself so he could save humanity. But whenever Mingyu looked at it, he could only think about how that was the last meal these people ate together as family, and the thought used to scare him when he was younger. There were numerous times he had lost his appetite because he spent too long looking at that picture.

The squeaking of the stairs got louder as his father reached the last steps. He walked to the table slowly and his lips stretched into a controlled smile when he saw Minghao.

"Oh, Minghao. It's been a while since you ate with us." he patted the boy on the back and took his seat.

"Mingyu missed me too much, I'm afraid." Minghao chuckled, and Mingyu subtly kicked him under the table.

That had been true at some point. When Mingyu was sixteen, it had been hard to walk into a house void of the brother he had grown up with. He never admitted it to anyone, but those first months Minghao had left to live on his own had been the loneliest of his life. It had been almost painful to walk into Minghao's room that used to be full of cloth pieces and coal drawings on an unmade bed, only to find it empty of any character, with only a well-made bed resting in the corner of the room.

Sometimes, he opened the windows of Minghao's room and sat next to them. Minghao always did that, and after hours of seemingly doing nothing, he began drawing. The charcoal sketches turned out more beautiful than Mingyu could have imagined. Mingyu wasn't anywhere near as talented. When he was sitting down next to the cold window, all he managed to do was miss his brother and be miserable.

He eventually got used to it though. Minghao was his best friend, even if they didn't live together anymore. What he remembered from that time was loneliness that had been threatening to eat him up inside. He never wanted to experience anything like it again.

Mingyu's mother returned from the kitchen, with two bowls of rice. She placed them in front of Mingyu and his father. Mingyu was so ready to begin serving himself, but one glance at his father told him that he was going to regret it if he didn’t mind his manners. And he didn't want to mess up this dinner with Minghao.

Mingyu's father has been gaining weight recently. He was never too large of a man. Working at the farms never allowed one to have extra weight, but his father has stopped doing labor work the past few years. It wouldn't be fitting for a mayor to involve himself with dirty farms.

Mingyu's father was aware that the title of the mayor was more honorary than anything in a small village like theirs, where crime never happened and laws weren't needed, and whose existence was almost overlooked by the king himself. He never tried to make the rest of the people treat him like some kind of royalty. Mingyu and Minghao worked like any other boy their age, and even his wife still did everything by herself, like she was raised to. They had more money than the rest of the people, but it was mostly for show, if anyone important ever decided to pay them a visit.

Mingyu wasn't bright enough to go study in the big towns and get a better future for himself. Minghao was bright, but had long decided that this village was his home, and he wasn't ever going to leave.

Both their decisions to stay in the village for all their lives agreed with Mingyu's father beliefs. He had a strong faith in God, and firmly believed that families should stay together, adopted or otherwise. His father held the opinion of God above everything else. He was devoted in his marriage, he regularly visited the local church, and he made sure to never miss a prayer or a fasting.

Mingyu never had as much self-control when it came to fasting, especially with delicious-looking food right below his nose. Just when he thought he was actually going to start drooling, his mother returned one last time with two more bowls, giving one to Minghao and keeping one with her as she finally sat down.

"Ah, the table feels complete like this." she exclaimed, patting Minghao's hand.

"Thank the heavens both our sons seem to be doing great in their lives." Mingyu's father added.

"What about you father? Was today of any interest?" Mingyu asked with genuine curiosity, despite feeling his stomach complaining.

"Nothing notable. The town is prospering as always. Our village is too. We are lucky enough to live in times of peace." his father looked satisfied.

"Weren't you going to meet the head of the monastery today?" Mingyu asked.

"Ah, yes. High Monk Junmyeon. We talked a bit about the annual apple delivery. He went to speak to that boy then." his father made a dismissing motion with his hand, and they all knew to drop the subject.

Mingyu's father's religion made him very respectful to the monks of the monastery that was located a little closer to the top of the mountain than their village. The bond between the monks and the villagers was old and it run deep. This bond was the only reason the village hadn't shipped the witch boy to the big towns to burn along with the rest of his kind. Everyone reasoned that someone who was raised by the monks, couldn't really carry the devil inside them could they?

"That's great dear. You must be hungry now. Shall we begin?" Mingyu's mother said.

Still, Mingyu knew he couldn't eat yet. His mother extended her hands and everyone mimicked her, making a circle around their round table.

"Hao dear, do you want to say our prayers?" she told Minghao sweetly.

"Of course." Minghao said and waited for everyone to close their eyes before reciting the familiar words.

Mingyu's mind had long stopped paying attention to the actual words. The moment he closed his eyes, it was like his mind drifted away. He felt his mother and his father holding his hands, he heard Minghao's melodious voice, he smelled the fresh food and he felt peaceful. He felt like this is how everything was supposed to be. He felt like the world was okay, like humanity had gotten over everything evil and they were finally allowing people to eat together with their families without problem. His life was simple like this, and he had grown up to like it this way.

~~~

_It was almost midnight. The weather was clear, no clouds, no sign of rain. It was September, but someone could easily confuse the night as one of summer. There was a gentle breeze blowing around the whole village, a sweet lullaby for the people that were asleep._

_Back in the field I had spent my day in, the deep well in the middle of the apple trees stood silent. My father had dug very deep to find a stable supply of water, on a mountain where underground rivers weren't as common as in the countryside._

_The space between the surface of the earth and the water was something that human eyes would have never seen if they haven't pushed and pulled and made effort to uncover it._

_It was almost a different world between the rock, the soil, the underground life and the sunny atmosphere of the sky._

_Humans were never meant to watch their world from below. They couldn't imagine flipping it upside down and living with the surface of the earth below their feet, with the core of it as their sky. But even if they somehow managed to flip everything upside down, they still wouldn't think to look back at their own world and see it from a different perspective. Humans were closed minded. The only thing they could do was get a glimpse of the world below their feet by digging holes like my father and watch what appeared under the sunlight from the safety of above._

_But that night, the autumn air happened to blow with a little more force than it usually did. A small flower from the blooming apple trees I had watered detached from its branch. The air carried it around the field, made it dance among the others of its kind that were standing still, waiting to fall off of their trees and die to give way to apples. But the wind wouldn't let that particular flower follow the fate it was supposed to._

_The flower was carried all the way to the well. It stood above it for a second and then the air suddenly disappeared, causing it to silently drop down. It went down and down, somewhere so deep that no flower of its kind was ever meant to exist. It transcended its world like no human could have done. It naturally glided between the rocks and the worlds and it kept descending._

_And when it hit the water and started floating peacefully, the sky was still above it, the moonlight faintly reaching its petals. The little flower was finally looking at the human's world from below._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this was the prologue, I hope it grabbed your interest, because the real story is starting from the next chapter. I will upload every 5 days.  
> Feedback is always appreciated.
> 
> Seriously.
> 
> I feed on comments.


	2. Pourquoi je vis?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go, the first chapter. I don't know if anyone realized from the title, but this fic was inspired by this amazing song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W29zEuZVaxs and its amazing lyrics. 
> 
> On to the story now!

It was morning.

Mingyu didn't want to acknowledge it, but the bright rays of the morning sun had begun Illuminating his room. There was a faint layer of dust over the furniture, some of its particles scattered in the air and reflecting the sunlight.

Mingyu always thought the sight of those particles was beautiful, magical even. It was amazing how those tiny, invisible dots of dust could shine so brightly if the sun hit them correctly, and then disappear again under the dark.

Mingyu's mother didn't appreciate it nearly as much. She always just scolded him and told him to clean up. She was too busy with work, with her strict life and responsibilities to stay still and appreciate the beauty that something not-so-perfect could withhold.

Her idea of beauty was not in the unplanned, but in the things she had control over. She liked her clothes, she liked knitting. She liked cooking the perfect meal and she liked having her family and village safe. That was what filled her up with happiness, that was the meaning of her life.

As long as Mingyu lived in her house, it didn't matter how pretty he thought the specks of dust that were dancing under the sunlight were. They would have to disappear in order to keep the room clean and in order, because that was what his mother was raised to think was pretty. If there was chaos, humans wouldn't be able to function as well as they did. People like Mingyu's mother made sure that in the end of the day everyone survived.

Mingyu respected that. Without his mother, he would have never grown up as well as he had. So he was definitely going to clean his room tomorrow morning when he had a free day. Today, Minghao and he were going hunting.

Mingyu finally felt some sparkles of excitement coursing threw him and he managed to jump off his bed.

It had barely been two years since Mingyu's father had allowed them to go hunting just by themselves. He had claimed that if they were old enough to get married and bring children to the world, then they could definitely kill some deer without supervision. Mingyu's excitement about hunting was still fresh.

He put a thin shirt on, because he would definitely get hot running around, even if it was in the cool forest. And then, for pants, he wore something dark green, the only thing he had that could count as camouflage pants. Sometimes he despaired over how much taller than Minghao he had gotten and therefore had stopped being able to borrow his clothes. His friend always managed to be impeccably dressed for any situation. If you told him he’s visiting the king next week, even with only the worst of materials their village could provide, he would tailor up a fitted suit in less than three days.

Speaking of the devil, Mingyu heard bangs on the door downstairs, and after a while, his mother's loud voice greeted his best friend warmly.

"Hao! It that a new bow? Did you make it yourself?" a small pause then, because Minghao's voice was too quiet to be picked up from the second floor. "That's wonderful dear! My most talented boy!"

Mingyu huffed. Those words were definitely aimed towards the upper floor and were spoken for him to listen. He hurried down the stairs and managed to hear the end of Minghao's laughter.

"Most talented? Are you sure about that?" were Mingyu's first words of the day.

"Good morning son. Aren't you a bit late?" his mother crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"What are you talking about, I'm ready?" Mingyu protested.

"Oh, then I shouldn't have packed your breakfast to take with you. Are you going to sit down and eat?" she said with raised eyebrows, extending a wrapped cloth towards him.

Mingyu paused. He _had_ been late for breakfast, but he wasn't going to admit defeat that easily.

"I'm not hungry." he mumbled, but it sounded weak, even to his own ears.

"Of course you're not. Then I suppose you wouldn't want dinner tonight as well, right?" his mother persisted. "Too bad, I was thinking of cooking the meat you caught too."

At that, Mingyu's stomach betrayed him and grumbled loudly. His mother laughed, and even Minghao chuckled behind his hand. Mingyu's stubbornness was sharply directed towards his best friend, who was indeed carrying a new bow.

"I bet I can catch more game than you today." he said, pointing at Minghao's chest.

"Oh, you're on. Easy win, I always had better aim than you." Minghao threw an arm around Mingyu's shoulder.

"Yeah well, just wait!" Mingyu smirked, his excitement bubbling up even more.

His mother shook her head fondly and handed him his breakfast, along with a bigger bundle that said was for their lunches. She kissed both their cheeks and crossed them with her fingers, muttering a small prayer beneath her lips. Minghao then grabbed Mingyu's hand and led him away from their house, towards the main exit of their village and to the forest.

~~~~

"Aight. So we're separating here." Minghao said half an hour later.

They were deep enough between the trees so that even the tallest houses were no longer visible.

"Yes. We'll meet up at midday in the entrance of the village, okay?" Mingyu brought his bow in front of his chest.

"May the best man win then!" Minghao tapped Mingyu's bow with his own and took off.

His black hair quickly disappeared from Mingyu's vision. Minghao was both lean and elegant enough to wiggle around the forest they had grown up in with ease. Mingyu was less graceful, but he was stronger. He honestly believed he could win this if he tried his best.

He began walking at the other direction of the one Minghao took. There was no point in running yet. He couldn't run silently enough, so his steps would only scare the pray away.

The forest was in a weird state at this time of the day. The nocturnal animals were in the process of finding hiding spots and falling asleep, while the rest of the world was waking up. The sun was already up in the sky, but the tall fir trees provided a thick shade to the ground.

Mingyu couldn't count how many times he had gotten lost in this forest as a young kid. He had been determined to map out the whole mountain ever since he could remember himself, even since before he met Minghao. He had never felt scared back then, he always trusted that he would find his way back.

When he got a bit older and started exploring the forest with Minghao, that's when the fear started settling in. He no longer believed that everything was going to be okay, even if they didn't manage to return home before dark. He no longer believed that two 8-year-olds could camp outside and no wolf or other predator would see them as an easy meal. So back then, he had been the most careful around the mountain.

Later, his father begun taking them both with him for hunting, and the fear of getting lost was replaced with the fear of killing animals, which was soon replaced by the fear of _not_ killing animals and looking weak in front of his father and the villagers.

There was one time he hadn't managed to catch anything. Minghao had kept telling him that it was fine, that he'd get better as time passed, but Mingyu clearly remembered the faint disappointment in his father's eyes.

Mingyu's father wasn't greedy, despite his position. He didn't want many things in his life. He wanted his religion to be obeyed, his wife to properly take care of him and his sons to grow into real men. Mingyu didn't know how Minghao had gotten away with making clothes and being close friends with Kyulkyung. All he knew was that he could have never been in his position. Part of him knew that this was because, even though his father loved and cared for Minghao, he never thought of him as much of a son as Mingyu's mother did. Mingyu didn't know if he would have preferred to be in Minghao's position and have it a bit easier, or not be and have his father consider him a real son.

The sun was getting higher and higher every moment that passed. Mingyu begun hearing birds chirping in the distance, the slight breeze that seemed to be permanent on the mountainside carrying their singing voices. If he was lucky, he would spot some of their nests, high up in the branches of the trees.

Mingyu was twenty now, and he has finally mapped out a large amount of the forest. He knew the trees he passed by, he had seen some the bushes growing up from mere seeds. He had planted a few himself. He had made sure to memorize the layout of the forest as far as he needed for his hunting trips.

So he knew that he was approaching a small lake now. It was located at the right side of their village, not a lot higher than it. It was really no bigger than a few meters, but its water was clear, coming straight from the underground rivers. Most importantly, it gathered all kinds of animals to drink from it. If Mingyu was really lucky, he would stumble upon something he could catch for dinner.

He took a big breath, inhaling the scent of soil and wet leaves. If he focused, he could hear the faint rippling of water. The breeze wasn't strong enough to move the waters. That meant that something was there. Mingyu exhaled and brought an arrow to arm his bow. He walked as softly as could towards some boulders, his usual hiding spot for whenever he hunted at the lake.

He steadied his feet on the ground to avoid any accidents and peeked around the corner.

The water was the only place surrounding him that had rays of sun hit it directly, without trees to block them. It looked like a scene from a fairy tale, the illuminated waters of lake surrounded by the shadows of the thick forest. Mingyu happily noticed some specks of dust floating at the space that was lighted by the sun.

Most noticeably though, there was a deer at the edge of the lake. It was only average sized, has probably just reached adulthood. It wasn't very impressive, but it would still count towards his victory. Mingyu pulled back his arrow and closed one eye.

The breeze was still here, blowing towards their village, so Mingyu aimed a little more to the left than he usually would. And he had to made sure the arrow wouldn't fall in the lake. It was expensive to buy new arrows, especially embedded with nice feathers and not merely chicken ones.

His hand shook a little. He had taken too long to aim and now his shot wouldn't be as steady. He took a deep breath to calm down and let the arrow fly. The moment he shot, he knew he would manage to hit the deer. He briefly closed his eyes, instinctively not wanting to see the impact.

They quickly flew open again when he heard the expected thump of the arrow and then the loud cry of the animal. Mingyu realized he hadn't made a killing shot, not even an immobilizing one. He cursed below his breath as the deer took off, with Mingyu's arrow making it drip red blood from one of its front legs.

Even if the animal wasn't completely done for, Mingyu had still managed to injure it. There was no way it could run as fast as it normally would. In a split second, Mingyu decided to follow it. He jumped off his boulder and sprinted after it, back inside the maze of the fir trees.

He was going to catch that deer, he was certain of that. And even if he didn't, it was going to collapse from blood loss soon enough. All Mingyu had to do was run behind it as fast as he could.

Mingyu had to give it to the deer- even with its injured leg it was damn fast. Mingyu was not in a bad shape at all, but he started panting after the first five minutes or running on uneven ground and jumping over obstacles sometimes as tall as himself. The good thing was that the animal was on a trail that was leading close to the village. At least it would be a short trip back.

Mingyu bit his lip and ran after the animal like his life depended on it. He put his entire focus on following it. Even if he got slower, the blood stains it left on the ground would be like a map for him to follow. He got so concentrated in his chase, that he briefly stopped paying attention to where he was going.

He only got a sense of where he was when the deer jumped over some bushes and into a small clearing. Mingyu followed it blindly, but his leg bumped on something and he lost his balance. He yelped as he fell face first into the dirt and rolled a few meters further away from the bushes.

He was under the sun now. Those specks of dust were still here, shining as brightly as ever.

He brought a hand over his squinting eyes and looked at the sky. He sighed deeply. If only his aim had been better, he wouldn't be laying on his back on some part of the forest he hadn't identified yet. Minghao would laugh his lungs out when he told him.

Just when he thought it was over, he heard the strangled cry of the deer and a loud thump, as it presumably hit the ground. Mingyu immediately perked up. He turned around, thinking that maybe he could still catch his prey.

Instead of seeing the deer though, the first thing he saw was a house on the clearing. It was mostly under the shadow of the trees, and it had the most peculiar shape. It looked like it wasn't made with a plan, like whoever built it added rooms whenever they felt like it. Two rooms were covered in vines, one had a round roof and the fourth had huge windows, wider than anything Mingyu had ever seen before. They were all made out of a gray kind of stone, darker than those of the village.

Before he could notice anything else, the wooden door of the room closest to him, one of those with the vines, opened hesitantly.

"Oh!" a deep voice said, and Mingyu noticed that his deer has collapsed right in front of that door.

He had been too preoccupied with the house to see it before, but now, he just wanted to grab it and leave. This was not a place he had been to in the last three years, even though it was so close to the village, and there was no reason to prolong his stay.

"What happened here?" the deep voice sounded again, a bit more alarmed, and the door opened wide.

Mingyu watched the boy kneel down next to his prey and _screw it_ , he was going to find something else to kill. If Minghao won the bet, he'd have a pretty good excuse for himself now. He tried to get up, but one of his legs wouldn't move the way he wanted to. He didn't feel any pain. When he looked down, he saw that there were two wooden pieces attached to his knee, held together by a tight string. He tried to tear the string off, but it was too hard.

"I'll be right back little one, hang in there." Mingyu looked up to see the boy getting up and glancing back at him.

He quickly averted his eyes. He pulled the string harder, but the more he pulled, the tighter it got. The other didn't say another word, he just disappeared inside of the house. This was Mingyu's chance, but he messed it up. After one extra hard pull, he managed to cut his fingers on it. Mingyu cursed as blood begun dripping on the ground. He couldn't get the damn thing off.

"Wait until I patch him up, then I can remove this for you." the other's deep voice reached his ears again, and Mingyu looked up.

The boy had reappeared next to the deer, this time with a box of things Mingyu had never seen before. Firstly, he pulled a white cloth and placed it around the arrow, to limit the blood loss from the wound that had worsened from all this running. Then he pulled a light blue liquid out and made the animal swallow it.

"Hey." Mingyu called then. "I've been meaning to kill that. Please get this thing off me so I can bring it home."

The boy turned his unimpressed eyes on him. His stare was intense, and Mingyu took a sharp, startled breath. He couldn't hide it, he was scared. He couldn't remember the last time he had talked to the other. He definitely hadn't given him a warm welcome when he had returned to their village.

"I can't let an animal that has come to me die. I'm sorry." the boy's words were surprisingly kind.

He got back to his work then, and Mingyu closed his mouth. The deer had gone limp in the other's arms. He pulled a thin knife from the box and begun digging around the arrow. His fingers were long, Mingyu noticed, and they moved around with an ease that came with practice. How many times had he done something like that?

When the wound was open enough, he carefully pulled Mingyu's arrow out. Mingyu closed his eyes, scared that he might have slashed one of the main arteries and blood would begin to gush out, but nothing of the short happened. When he reopened his eyes, the animal's fur was wet with alcohol, its stench carrying all the way to were Mingyu was sitting up. The arrow was removed, and those skilled fingers were stitching up the wound.

Mingyu swallowed. It was almost over. The deer was surprisingly still knocked out, despite the pain it should have been in. Mingyu knew that anesthetics were too expensive to casually be used in their village. Where had he found this? And why did he waste it on an animal?

"Wonwoo." he called then. "Please let me go."

"In a moment." the other mumbled, focused on his work.

His black hair fell over his eyes, as messy as Mingyu always saw it in the market. But his clothes were different. They were baggier, and his feet were bare. He looked... well, he looked like a _witch_.

When he was done with the stitches, he poured a bit more alcohol on another cloth, and gently tied it around the wound. He let the deer's head rest on the floor and he looked at Mingyu again.

Mingyu couldn't look him in the eyes. He didn't know why he felt so scared, when really, Wonwoo looked as weird as he always did and not at all dangerous, but his whole body was on alert. It was probably because of those eyes.

Wonwoo approached him and kneeled down, but unlike he had done with the deer, he made sure not to touch him.

"I'm sorry. I put those out because kids want to play brave sometimes and they damage my house. It is not designed to hurt anyone." he explained quietly.

Mingyu still didn't look at him, but he felt the string relaxing and the wooden pieces that prevented his knee from moving dropping to the ground. He immediately pulled his leg closer to himself.

"Oh. You cut yourself." Wonwoo's eyebrows furrowed. "How did you manage that?"

Mingyu clenched his hand tight. There was still a bit of blood dripping from his fingers, but it wasn't anything serious.

"It's okay. I shouldn't have tried to pull it off by myself." Mingyu said stiffly.

"Let me see it." Wonwoo extended his hand invitingly.

Despite his hard eyes, there was a soft smile on his face, that Mingyu hadn't seen before. He never smiled when he was in their village. Then again, what reason did he have to smile in a place that everyone tried to avoid him like he had the plague?

As if it was against his will, he put his bleeding hand atop the other's. Wonwoo's hand was cold. His skin was rough like Mingyu's, but Mingyu didn't know where he got it from. He didn't work at the fields. Wonwoo looked at his hand for a second before he sighed and stood up.

"I have an ointment for cuts like those inside, if you want to come." he said and a silence followed his words. "I won't mind if you don't." he added after a while, and turned away from Mingyu.

He leaned down and tried to pick up the deer. He grasped its leg in one arm and with the other he attempted to lift its body. But Mingyu knew that under that baggy shirt, his arms were as skinny as ever. He would never be able to carry a whole deer by himself, especially if he wanted to be careful not to hurt its arrow wound.

Wonwoo soon gave up and sighed, putting his arms on his waist. He started going back to the house, but Mingyu stopped him.

"Wait." he said and stood up.

This was all his fault. If he had better aim, if he hadn't followed the animal and forced it to run faster, it wouldn't have come to this. He didn't know why would Wonwoo heal an injured deer like it was a friend of his, but still, he had put him in a lot of trouble. And Wonwoo had been nothing but polite to him.

"I can carry it inside. I mean, if you want me to..." he rubbed the back of his head.

"Oh. Sure, I guess. Come here." he urged Mingyu forward. "Hold its head like this, so its neck won't sprain, and lift it's body from the belly like this, so it is supported properly." he fussed over the animal.

Mingyu silently obeyed. He lifted the animal as gently as he could, internally apologizing to it for everything he had put it through. At this point, it might have been more merciful to kill it.

Wonwoo opened the door and Mingyu braced himself. There was a reason they had sent Wonwoo to live here, outside of the actual village.

They entered the room with the vines and if Mingyu could, he would have grown two more eyes to take everything in. It looked… kind of cozy? There were cloths on the walls, pillows and blankets everywhere.

He supposed that this room was some kind of living room/kitchen. There was a white board and a small stove at one corner, right below a small window. There was a couch, and a table, and something like a fireplace, at the opposite corner of the stove. And those were all the objects Mingyu could recognize in the room. There were many, many other things Mingyu had never seen in his life before. A long, narrow cylinder was in the ceiling and spiraling downwards, ending at a white bowl-like object.

"That way please." Wonwoo opened another door.

How many doors were in this room? There was the one that led outside, the one that Wonwoo just opened, and another one next to the makeshift kitchen. Mingyu wished he could stay longer, there were so many more things in that room to figure out.

But no, this shouldn't be interesting. Wonwoo was weird, of course his house would reflect his personality. Mingyu was still a little scared, even though the other seemed harmless at the moment. His father had warned him about staying away from this place.

"Mingyu?" Wonwoo called again, when he saw that he wasn't too eager to move.

Mingyu gripped the deer a little tighter and walked to the next room. This one was the one with the window walls and it was a lot different than the previous. It was smaller, but there was sun filtering through the huge windows, brightening the whole place up. There was barely a bed fitting in that room, but it was huge, much bigger than one person would need. And there were more blankets and pillows, all white. Where had he gotten these from? They weren't items that could be found in their village. Everything felt foreign in here, unfitting.

Mingyu looked at the window. It had been placed very strategically. The fir trees casted their shadows all around the house, expect this part of the wall. If Mingyu walked close to it, he would be able to see the sky.

He heard another door opening then. There were three doors to this room as well, the one that connected it to the living room, the one Wonwoo had just opened that led outside again, and a third one, a little more scratched than the rest. That one was locked and heavily secured.

Mingyu had a bad feeling about this door. Why was it different than the rest of them? Maybe his father was right. Wonwoo could really be dangerous.

"Here, you can place it there." Wonwoo waved him over, and pointed at a place Mingyu couldn't see from inside the room.

He followed after Wonwoo, and the fresh air hit him again. He hadn't realized it at first, but the house had a different smell. It was subtle at the beginning, but now, Mingyu could tell that it had been sweeter than the rest of the forest in there. Not in a suffocating way, but in an... elegant kind of way? Whatever it was, Mingyu was sure that Minghao would have liked that scent.

"Mingyu, are you listening?" Wonwoo waved a hand in front of his face and Mingyu sucked in a startled breath.

"Yeah, sorry. It's just..."

"Weird? Scary?" Wonwoo smiled again. "Don't worry, I get that a lot." he said and motioned at Mingyu to turn around the corner and face the part of the forest that the previous room's big window overlooked.

Mingyu's nerves kind of deflated at the sight. There was an area that was fenced, closed off from the rest of the forest with wooden blocks and sharp strings, like those that Mingyu had cut his fingers on.

In that space there were more blankets and pillows among the plants and trees. And some were occupied by small animals of various kinds. There were a few birds, one very distinctive owl amongst them, three rabbits, two squirrels and even three wild cats. Mingyu was sure there were more he couldn't see. They all sported some kind of injuries, be they covered in bandages, or had patches of ointments. Bowls of water and varying kinds of food for every species were scattered around the area. Wonwoo walked in there with a bounce in his step, and soon enough the cats surrounded him, making high pitched noises at him.

Mingyu had never thought that Wonwoo could be an actual witch, up to this point. But what he had built here... How was that even possible?

"You can place the deer over that blanket over there, below that tree." Wonwoo pointed at a certain tree and Mingyu trudged there on shaky feet.

He laid the deer down as gently as he could, mindful of the injury he had caused. Still, if there was any place that it could fully recover, it was this one.

The wild cats cried and scratched at Wonwoo's feet. He just laughed at them though and kneeled down to pet them. Mingyu had a very active memory about the last time he had tried to touch one of those. It was on the branch of one of his family's apple trees, and Mingyu needed to get it down. The cat had scratched him all the way to his shoulders, and even on his cheek, before his father took the matters in his own hands and shot it down with an arrow.

"I'll feed you in a while, okay? Be patient." Wonwoo cooed at them.

Mingyu tried to appear composed when the boy got up and turned to him. He wasn't as scared anymore, but his morning had turned as far from normal as possible. And his hand was still bleeding.

"Can you wait a bit until I feed them before I look at your hand?" Wonwoo asked.

"Yeah, of course..." Mingyu walked towards him, feeling obliged to follow him back into the house.

He didn't want to leave the safety of the forest, but he also didn't want to be left alone in this makeshift animal hospital at the back of Wonwoo's house.

They walked back to the kitchen, and Wonwoo opened a drawer with thinly sliced, dry meat. Was he seriously going to waste such a thing on some wild cats? Mingyu couldn't believe his eyes. Minghao loved dry meat. Mingyu's mother has scolded him countless times when he tried to sneak some off her kitchen. And here Wonwoo was, throwing it to animals that could very much go hunting themselves.

Mingyu swallowed the million questions that were beginning to pop up as his nerves subsided once again. Wonwoo did weird, unnatural things. That was the one fact that he shouldn't be questioning after all those years.

They silently walked back outside again, and Mingyu stayed close to the wall as Wonwoo cut the meat in smaller pieces with his hands and dropped it at a bowl near another tree.

A tree that had tiny squirrels all over it.

"How come the cats don't attack the other animals?" the question slipped out of Mingyu's mouth before he could stop himself.

Wonwoo looked pleasantly surprised by the question. He returned to Mingyu's side and wiped his hands on a towel that was hanging from the wall.

"They don't need to kill anything if I keep them fed. They instinctively avoid hunting if they are injured, so if I set them free as soon as they are fully healed, everyone is safe here." he explained.

Mingyu blinked at him once. Wouldn't it just be more simple to not take them in altogether? All that trouble, the waste of meat and the danger, was it worth it so three wild cats didn't die?

Again, he had to remind himself not to question Wonwoo's weird way of thinking. It was what had got him to live alone after all. There was no way Mingyu could understand him, even if he tried.

"You're doing a great job then." he said, trying to be polite.

"Oh?" Wonwoo looked surprised again. "Thank you. Haven't heard that one in a while." he chuckled.

Mingyu was beginning to feel awkward. He felt the need to get away again, less because he was scared now, and more because he didn't know how to talk to Wonwoo like he would have done so to anyone else.

"I know you want to leave, but would you still let me fix your hand? I feel kind of bad about it now..." Wonwoo said, scratching his arm over his large shirt.

"Okay. It was mostly my fault though, no need to feel bad..." Mingyu kept being polite because he had no reason not to be.

It was probably more than Wonwoo was used to. He let out another chuckle and motioned for Mingyu to follow him inside once more. He closed the door behind them and made Mingyu wait at the bed.

"Just stay here, I'll be right back." he said and went through the door with the scratches.

Mingyu gulped. He didn't like that door, wherever it led. Something told him that it wasn't safe. And why didn't Wonwoo let him follow him again, like he did with the rest of the house? Did he really have things to hide after all?

_"The only reason we're not sending him in the big towns to burn with the rest of his kind is out of respect for High Monk Junmyeon."_

His father's words echoed louder and louder in his brain the more the silence stretched. He shouldn't be here, he should have never entered the house in the first place. Minghao always told him to be polite, but sometimes it was better to appear rude and stay out of trouble. Wonwoo was used to rudeness, it wouldn't make a difference to him.

The sun was high up in the sky. Noon wouldn't be around for at least an hour, but Mingyu was going straight home after this, bet be damned. The window allowed many rays of sun to hit the bed, and Mingyu felt their warmth on his fingers. He looked away from the pile of clothes on the ground, next to the door Wonwoo has disappeared to, and took a deep breath.

There were specks of dust dancing around in the room. They were everywhere, and because of the huge window, so many of them could be seen. Quite strangely, it somehow put Mingyu more at ease. The room wasn't spotless clean. If Mingyu's mother ever saw it she would probably scold Wonwoo.

Mingyu looked at the ceiling and smiled at the absurdity of that thought. As if his mother would ever find herself in a five-meter radius from the witch boy. Seriously, what was Mingyu doing here? This was no place to be.

This was his chance to leave, while Wonwoo was occupied in the next room over. He could leave without any announcement. Wonwoo was going to return with the ointment, but Mingyu would no longer be there. He could quietly leave and never talk to him again. Wonwoo probably wouldn't like it, but Mingyu didn't really care. He could make sure he never bumped on to him in the market ever again, and that would be the end of it.

He could have done all those, he would have, if only Wonwoo had given him one reason to be rude to him. He didn't like Wonwoo in any way, he was mildly terrified of him even, but Mingyu couldn't do this even to him.

Just in time, Wonwoo reappeared from the door, holding a small vial in his hand. There was a thick, orange liquid in it.

"You're still here." Wonwoo said, with that faint smile that actually seemed to be one of his most common expressions.

Mingyu hadn’t needed to know that, but now he did. He knew how the edges of Wonwoo's lips could lift up, he knew how that smile looked on his face. It almost resembled the mouth of a cat, and Mingyu hadn't needed to know that either, especially if he was never going to see it again. Wonwoo never smiled at the market.

But still, Wonwoo had a nice smile.

And it was definitely something Mingyu hadn't needed to know.

He had sounded surprised when he saw Mingyu still waiting for him. Maybe while they were apart, they had had similar trains of thoughts. Honestly, if Mingyu was in his position, he too would have expected to return to an empty room, the only proof that a stranger had been there before being some sour, disappointing, feeble memories.

Mingyu stopped himself. Wonwoo wasn't someone he could understand the thought process of, much more relate it to his own. To the rest of the village and him, Wonwoo wasn't human. If anything, this house was proof enough.

And that orange liquid Wonwoo was applying to his palm should have alarmed Mingyu a lot more than it was.

"Wait, wait. What is this?" he belatedly asked.

"It's a mix of alcohol to clean the wound and some oils to prevent it from burning the skin. A bit of other herbs to soothe it as well..." Wonwoo trailed off with his explanation.

"Why is it orange?" Mingyu asked with furrowed eyebrows.

Wonwoo chuckled again. "From all the things there is to ask, that's what troubles you the most?"

Mingyu pouted. He had a point. This whole situation was very troublesome. Wonwoo looked harmless, sure, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to secretly poison him.

And what was that about alcohol burning the skin?

"Are you saying that alcohol is bad for the skin then?" he asked.

"Ah, you catch on quick. Alcohol is great for disinfecting wounds, but it is harsh on the skin. It gets it all dry and thin, which makes it more susceptible to new wounds and infections."

"Then what are we supposed to disinfect wounds with?" Mingyu asked perplexed.

"This!" Wonwoo waved the vial in his fingers.

Mingyu furrowed his eyebrows again. He would most definitely stick to alcohol. He was never getting anywhere near that orange thing ever again. Granted, it wasn't stinging as much as pure alcohol did, but he wasn't going to, like, ask for Wonwoo's recipe.

"If alcohol is as bad as you say, why do people drink it?" he asked instead.

"I wouldn't know, I don't drink." Wonwoo shrugged.

"You don't drink? Like, you don't drink alcohol, or that includes water...?" Mingyu asked with wide eyes.

Wonwoo looked up at him with an amused, questioning expression, and only then did Mingyu realize how stupid and ignorant he must have sounded.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean..." he mumbled.

"I'm not a witch." Wonwoo said suddenly.

"I didn't think..." Mingyu kept his eyes locked to the ground.

"It's okay, I know what people think. But I'm not." Wonwoo shrugged again.

Mingyu remained silent. So much for being polite. At least Wonwoo didn't look offended at all, there was still that amused grin on his face. Mingyu cleared his throat, in an attempt to make himself feel less awkward.

"I should go. Thank you for taking care of me." he said, keeping his tone politely neutral.

"You're welcome." Wonwoo said brightly and took a step back.

He looked so surprised but pleased with everything Mingyu said. If Mingyu had any doubt about it before, now he was certain that this boy was beyond weird. Granted, he may not have been a witch as everyone claimed, but he was still way too different.

For one, he hadn't looked bothered at all that Mingyu had almost killed an animal. Shouldn't he be more sensitive about issues like those if he practically ran an animal hospital on his backyard? Not only he hadn't criticized him in any way, but as they stepped out at the front again, he leaned down to pick Mingyu's bloody arrow. He briefly ran his hands through the owl feathers with a thoughtful expression before he handed it back to Mingyu.

"Make sure to clean it before the blood dries." he said.

Mingyu took it and mumbled a quiet 'thanks'. He picked up the other arrows and his bow that had dropped to the ground when he fell and secured them on his shoulders. He felt a little better now that he was armed, and that caused him to feel a pang of guilt. Wonwoo really had been nothing but polite, even kind. Despite how people judged him all the time, his manners were great.

Wonwoo waved at him as he left, and Mingyu hesitantly waved back. He threw one last glance at the house and quickened his step. His nerves needed time to settle before he could think about what has just happened to him. He couldn't even begin to imagine how to explain everything to Minghao, much less his parents.

They would scold him to the next decade. His father would get really pissed and start preaching about evil witches having no place in this village and especially not in Mingyu's life. Wonwoo had said that he wasn't a witch, and even if for some reason Mingyu decided to believe him, his father would never.

Mingyu felt sweat forming at his forehead and he absentmindedly wiped it with his palm. Some of the orange ointment spread to his forehead. It felt surprisingly cool, even if it had been sitting on Mingyu's warm skin all this time.

He noticed how his fingers weren't hurting anymore and he sighed. He didn't want to admit that whatever Wonwoo had given him had actually helped. He hadn't associated Wonwoo with anything positive until then, and it probably wasn't a good idea to start now.

He wiped the leftover ointment from his fingers and forehead on some leaves, so people in the village didn't notice, and he could pretend like this morning never happened.

When the sun found his skin again, he was at the entrance of his village, outside of the forest's shadow. The weather was still warm, the same breeze blew softly against his face. Nothing has changed.

He needed time to let his mind relax. Nothing was different. Kyulkyung and Nayoung were still at the market, behind those fabrics. Heechul was still behind his own counter, with that terrible red hat. Lady Hani was talking to him animatedly, probably the only one seriously liking that hat of his. The pie on Sooyoung's window was half eaten and Jaemin was still playing with his dog, like he had no other care in the world. The village was functioning as organized as ever, every person interacting with the others like how they were supposed to be.

The only thing that was different was that now, Mingyu had acknowledged the existence of someone the village tried its best to pretend wasn't here. The further inside the village he walked, the more he felt like he was waking up from a dream.

"Hey, Mingyu!" Kyulkyung waved at him when he was close enough.

How bored she must have been, standing behind a counter all day, her only job to look pretty for the customers she and her friends tried to sell cloths to. Kyulkyung wasn't made for a life like this, but nobody seemed to realize.

"Hi." Mingyu approached them nevertheless.

He probably looked a bit more shaken than he would have liked in front of the girls, but he knew they wouldn't question the easy smile on his face.

"You're not doing very good with that bet of yours, are you?" Kyulkyung smiled sympathetically at him.

Should Mingyu tell them what happened? It wasn't like it was a huge secret. They all knew Wonwoo, they all equally found him weird. Entering his actual home was something no one had done before, and it would make a hell of a story.

"You won't believe what happened to me." he said cryptically, leaning his body over the counter.

The girls looked at him expectantly, with wide eyes. Mingyu could make it more dramatic, get them begging for details. Nayoung especially was ready to ask what happened. It was so easy to impress them, even if his story wasn't as interesting as it was.

"I almost caught a deer. It was huge, and its antlers would have made a great decoration for my room. A pity, really..." he shook his head disappointedly at the end.

"Why didn't you catch it?" one of the girls spoke up.

"Because it ran, and I chased it. I almost caught it, despite running as fast it could." Mingyu couldn't help but brag a little.

Some whispers reached his ears, about how strong he was. He smirked at the girls, enjoying the attention.

"I was this close to catching it." Mingyu made an exaggerated motion with his hand for effect. "But it ran straight to Wonwoo's house." he finished and paused, waiting for the reactions.

Some of the girls exclaimed in surprise, some looked very curious and a few were scared. Nayoung's eyes were wide, waiting for more details. Kyulkyung was the only one who looked unimpressed.

"What did you do?"

"Did he hurt you?"

"How did you get away?"

The questions started coming suddenly, and Mingyu took a step back. He toyed with the idea to make up a story, make Wonwoo look like a villain so he could be the hero, but entertaining the girls wasn't really worth it.

It was almost noon after all. Minghao would be back soon and then he had to tell him how the things actually happened.

"He was polite actually." Mingyu said and some of the girls looked disappointed. Everyone loved to hate the weird witch boy. "But he didn't let me get the deer. So here I am, empty handed and losing the bet." Mingyu made a sad face towards the end.

"Aw, don't worry, you'll win next time!"

"You're still the coolest Mingyu!"

Mingyu chuckled amusedly. Thanks to the sweet girls, Mingyu's pride didn't suffer a blow. It was a good decision to stay and talk to them.

"Were _you_ polite though?" Kyulkyung asked with a raised eyebrow, her voice full of doubt.

Mingyu looked at her with fake offense written all over his face. He took a step away from her, closer to Nayoung and pretended to be shocked at her words.

"I was a perfect gentleman, like I always am. Right ladies?" he smiled widely at the rest of the girls.

There were giggles, some more mocking than Mingyu would have liked. He pouted at the girls and crossed his hands in front of his chest cutely. Not that he really felt bad. He just knew he had a cute pout.

"This is how it's going to be, hm? I risked my life only for my beautiful friends to say I'm not a gentleman." he whined.

Kyulkyung excessively rolled her eyes, but Nayoung found the courage to place her hand atop Mingyu's.

"I think you're sweet." she said quietly.

"Why, thank you dear." Mingyu beamed at her.

He could already hear the excited murmurs of the other girls at that interaction. Nayoung blushed and quickly took her hand back. Still, it was a brave move, Mingyu was going to give her that.

"I have to go my fair ladies. If you see Minghao, tell him that I'll wait for him at my parents' home." he said and waved goodbye at them.

"Bye Mingyu!"

"Come again soon!"

Mingyu threw one more sweet smile at them and left. The walk back to his house found him calmer than he had been before. Talking with the girls was normal. It allowed some sense of security to return to him. He exhaled loudly and glanced down at his hand.

The cut was clean. There was only one small red line visible across his fingers. If he held his palm closed, neither Minghao nor his parents would notice.

It was decided then. He would emit from his story the part that Wonwoo came anywhere near him, even if it was to help. His father wouldn't understand his good intentions, no matter how he explained it. He would only get mad that Mingyu had allowed any of his witchcraft on himself and he would be in deep trouble.

No, just saying that his pray ran to Wonwoo's house and Mingyu saw a bit of the weird boy was enough information to share.

Mingyu reached his house only to find it empty. He searched around for his mother, but she was probably still at the fields, working herself to the bone. In the kitchen, there were many vegetables already peeled and cut, the few spices his mother had managed to get her hands on on display. Mingyu frowned. Now he sincerely hoped Minghao caught a lot, because he would have to bring enough meet for everyone all by himself. Mingyu was once again proven a disappointment. His father wasn't going to be happy at all when he returned.

Minghao returned half an hour later. Mingyu had holed himself up in his room when he heard Minghao's signature whistle coming from outside. He half-heartedly opened his window and saw his friend at the front porch, holding a small deer and two sparrows on his arms.

"Can your highness come and help me?" he yelled, a grin on his face.

Mingyu should have felt a bit disappointed that he lost the bet, but he was worried for more important things at the moment. He only sighed as a reply and walked downstairs to help his friend. At least his family wouldn't starve that night.

"What's with the dejected face? You can't be _that_ bitter that I won." Minghao mocked him.

"No, that's not it, you ass." Mingyu tried to kick him, as his hands were occupied by moving the two birds.

They walked to the kitchen together. All it took was a glance around the room for Minghao to figure out that he hadn't caught anything. He looked at Mingyu with furrowed eyebrows as he let the deer drop to the ground.

"Did something happen?" he asked, finally noticing that Mingyu wasn't as perky as usual.

"You won't believe." Mingyu begun. "Let's go sit somewhere." he let the birds next to the deer and pushed Minghao to the living room.

"Did you cut yourself?" Minghao asked out of the blue, taking Mingyu's palm on his own.

Mingyu gaped at him. _How-?_

"It's nothing. I grabbed an arrow the wrong way, that's all." he hurried to explain, silently cursing Minghao's ability to notice _everything_.

"Oh okay. What's wrong then?" the other asked, plopping down on the couch.

And Mingyu begun telling the same story he told the girls, albeit with much less dramatic effect and way more details. He told Minghao about the trap, about how he had to wait for Wonwoo to untie him and how creepy everything had been. He left out everything about actually going inside Wonwoo's house, or helping him get the deer to the backyard with the other animals.

Minghao listened with wide eyes and poorly concealed curiosity. He cringed when Mingyu described the anesthetic Wonwoo had used on the animal, as expected. If someone had something as precious as that on the village, he definitely shouldn't be wasting it on wild animals.

"The moment he set me free I ran away." Mingyu finished. "I... was too scared to go back to hunting..." he admitted embarrassed.

"It's okay Gyu, it's only natural. You could have been in actual danger back there, oh my God." Minghao begun fussing over him. "Are you sure he didn't have anything to do with that cut?" he asked worriedly.

"Yeah, that was just my own clumsiness." Mingyu said reassuringly.

Minghao slapped the back of his head. He was done being worried. "You need to be more careful idiot!" he said.

"Ouch, don't hit me! It wasn't my fault!" Mingyu whined.

"You should be aware of your surroundings when you hunt! That's like, the first rule!" he scolded.

"I'm sorry, okay? Father is going to hate everything about this day." Mingyu hid his face behind his hands.

He was pouting again, but it was nowhere near as cute as he had made it look in front of the girls. Minghao bit his lip in thought. He obviously hadn't thought about their father's reaction to the mess Mingyu had made today. He remained silent for a few moments before he decided to spare Mingyu.

"We can tell your father that you caught the birds." he offered. "You're going to have to tell him about Wonwoo though, I can't help you with that." Minghao said pityingly.

If Mingyu had any real pride, he wouldn't have accepted that offer. He had to face the consequences of his actions on his own, no matter how unfair they were. He had tried his best to kill that deer, but he had failed, and in doing so, he had endangered himself. Minghao was only offering to help because he was his best friend, and he shouldn't be taking advantage of that.

Still, Mingyu only sighed and lowered his head. He didn't want to appear such a failure in his father's eyes. If he told him that he lost a deer because of Wonwoo but still managed to get those birds, then his father would be at least a little proud, wouldn't he? It felt like the choice was making itself, and Mingyu had no power to listen to his morals.

"Thank you, Hao." he said dejectedly.

"Don't mention it." Minghao patted his back. "You need to cheer up though. It's all in the past now, Wonwoo can't hurt you here."

Mingyu had half the mind to tell him that Wonwoo probably wouldn't hurt him anywhere. He should be telling him that Wonwoo was kind with him, contrary to what the villagers believed about him. But that would only mean more explanations on his part, and thus more trouble. Mingyu was ready to leave that incident behind him once and for all, and he wasn't going to feel guilty about it. Not because of Wonwoo, of all people.

"I talked with Kyulkyung and the girls on the way here." Minghao changed the subject.

"Tell me the truth, were they laughing at me for coming back empty handed?" Mingyu asked, leaning forward towards his friend.

"A bit." Minghao chuckled. "Kyulkyung mostly. She said you were anxiously waiting for me here and that you were probably starving because you didn't manage to catch anything."

"As if I'd cook what I caught. Mother would have a fit." Mingyu rolled his eyes. "I swear Kyulkyung hates me sometimes."

"Don't be silly, it's all in good nature." Minghao waved him off. "Besides, the rest of them were too busy fussing over Nayoung." he wiggled his eyebrows.

That finally got a low laugh out of Mingyu. Of course the girls would be proud of little Nayoung. Mingyu was kind of proud for her too for breaking out of her shell. She always looked an interesting person when she wasn't a blushing mess.

"She called me sweet." he explained to Minghao.

"Cute." Minghao snickered. "You know, you'd make a cute couple." he added, seemingly nonchalantly.

"Did Kyulkyung tell you to say that?" Mingyu raised his eyebrows.

"Maybe." Minghao smirked. "But I too have eyes. She's nice, she obviously likes you and you know we'll have to get married one day." he shrugged.

"That won't be for a long time hopefully." Mingyu chuckled.

Minghao nodded vigorously in agreement.

~~~

Mingyu's mother returned tired, but she kissed them both on the cheek when she saw what they got.

"My beautiful babies, I'm so proud of you!" she said and clapped happily. "It's been so long since I cooked a sparrow. Mingyu you did great." she said.

Mingyu tried not to flinch at the praise he normally would have loved to hear. He owed Minghao big time.

His father returned later, when the sun had almost gone down. Mingyu was sitting outside and gazing at the purple sky, trying to trace the corners of the fluffy clouds with his eyes. He could faintly hear his mother and Minghao conversing in the kitchen. Their voices, combined with the heavenly scent of meet cooking provided a comforting, homey feeling.

Mingyu saw his father and smiled at him, immediately getting up to greet him.

"Good evening father." he said and dusted himself.

"Hello Mingyu. Judging by the smell, I take it hunting went well?" he asked.

"It...could have gone better." Mingyu said strategically, biting his lip.

"Oh? You'll tell all about it at dinner." his father patted his shoulder and passed by him to get inside the house. "I'm home!" he exclaimed loudly towards the kitchen, and Mingyu saw his mother rush to take his coat and bring him slippers.

Mingyu decided to follow him inside. If his father was home, he assumed dinner was almost ready too. His mother always timed everything precisely. She wouldn't have her husband waiting for the food to be done after an entire day at work.

“Welcome home dear.” she said, kissing his cheek.

“I could smell your delicious food from outside. Tell me, is it almost ready?” Mingyu’s father asked.

“Of course, dear. Please go wash yourself and come down, I’m sure our boys will have a lot to tell you about their day.” she replied and walked back to the kitchen.

It would have been an exaggeration to say that Mingyu dreaded the dinner. Even though he was nervous to the point of not looking forward to eating meat, he didn’t think he was going to be any trouble, not if his father thought he had caught the birds. That was what his goal was, he thought as he was sitting opposite his father, patiently waiting for his mother to bring the food. He had to be careful how he worded his story to make it as if he hadn’t been affected by meeting Wonwoo at all.

“Here, father.” Minghao placed a plate of broth in front of him. “The meat will be here shortly.”

Mingyu’s father looked at Minghao with a tight smile. He didn’t thank him for the food. “Come sit down boy, let my wife serve us. That’s her job, not yours.”

Mingyu felt himself shrinking in his seat, even though the words weren’t directed at him. He would never understand how Minghao found the courage to just chuckle heartily, unbothered at the obvious judgement.

“This food is cooked from the deer I caught, father, it’s only natural I want to help in its preparation.” he said lightly and walked right back to the kitchen, disregarding his father’s words.

Mingyu’s father sighed, but he didn’t look too bothered. He didn’t care that much about how Minghao acted, not when he wasn’t his real son. Because of that, Mingyu somehow felt even more burdened for tonight.

Minghao brought three other plates of broth, and then both he and Mingyu’s mother brought two big platters of the meat. His mother had spent all afternoon separating the meet, washing the blood and plucking the feathers of the birds. She had decided to cook both sparrows on the stove, while she made a soup from a large piece of the deer. The rest was salted and stored to the basement. Mingyu felt bad that he hadn’t been allowed to help at all during this process, not even when Minghao and his mother carried everything to the basement.

“Here we go, here we go!” Mingyu’s mother said as she placed the sparrows right in front of her husband’s plate. “A few hours ago they were flying on the sky and now they’re on our plates. They can’t get any fresher than this.” she said proudly.

“They smell heavenly. Who caught those?” Mingyu’s father sniffed the platter, as Minghao placed the deer down as well and finally sat down next to Mingyu.

“It was Mingyu.” he said simply, not giving any room for Mingyu to hesitate and expose himself.

His father hummed approvingly. “As expected of my son.” he said. “Let’s say our prayers and eat, my mouth is watering.”

“Minghao baby, you know I love to hear your voice.” Mingyu’s mother smiled at the boy, urging him to recite the prayers again.

They all held hands as Minghao’s delicate voice filled the room. Mingyu looked at the picture of the Last Supper. _Dinners can be really hard, can’t they Jesus?_

“So Mingyu,” his father said as they begun eating. “How did it go today? You mentioned there were some complications?”

“Oh? You didn’t tell me that.” his mother piped up. “My baby, are you okay? Were you hurt in any way?” she asked with worry.

“Don’t worry mother, I’m perfectly okay.” Mingyu said reassuringly. “It wasn’t anything I couldn’t handle.” he added looking back at his father.

“Do explain.” his father nodded, bringing a spoonfull of the broth to his lips.

“A few moments after Minghao and I split up, I managed to locate a deer.” Mingyu begun with the truth. “Sadly, I was in the wind’s direction, so it managed to sniff me out before I could shoot.”

“That’s quite unfortunate.” Mingyu’s father nodded, not unkindly.

“It was. It was of a pretty big size too.” Mingyu sighed, feigning disappointment. “I followed it, of course. I didn’t want to let a pray like this escape.” he added.

Mingyu glanced at Minghao at this point. The hard part was coming. His father was looking at him expectantly and Mingyu didn’t want to meet his eyes.

“It ran… to that weird boy, Wonwoo’s house.” he said, trying to sound as nonchalant about it as possible.

“Goodness!” his mother exclaimed. “I hope you didn’t follow it there?” she asked intensely, ready to scold him in a heartbeat.

“…I did.” Mingyu said. “Not inside the house, or anything. But I saw his front door.”

“Did you interact with that witch in any way?” Mingyu’s father said sternly.

“I did see him, yes. There was a trap, nothing dangerous I assure you. When I saw it I threatened him to release me and he probably was scared of me, because he easily complied.” Mingyu explained.

“Mingyu that was dangerous!” his mother begun her rant. “First of all, you can’t go anywhere near that house, I’ve warned you about it! What was the trap? What if he had a trap that would seriously hurt you? Goodness gracious, that boy may be dangerous Mingyu! Didn’t you notice where that deer led you to? Is this what your father and I taught you?”

Mingyu wasn’t scared about his mother reaction, he had never been. She yelled and scolded him all the time, but she would never actually punish him. She was just worried about him, not actually mad. Mingyu knew is mother loved him too much to ever actually feel disappointed in him.

It was his father’s reaction that he was always scared of. _He_ wasn’t afraid of punishment. And even if Mingyu was too old to fear beating anymore, the disappointment in his father’s eyes was enough of a punishment. Mingyu never wanted his father to look at him the way he looked at Minghao. He didn’t want to become someone his father didn’t care about whatever he did. The moment he put his hand up to silence his mother, Mingyu knew he wasn’t happy. That simple gesture demanded everyone’s attention on the room and silence spread in anticipation for his father’s words.

“First of all, as a hunter, you should always remain aware of your surroundings. Did you, or did you not do that?” he said curtly.

“…I did not.” Mingyu lowered his head.

“You didn’t.” his father repeated, his voice dangerously emotionless. “And second, when a witch has you trapped, you do not threaten them to release you. Don’t you think for a second that he was scared of you.” he raised his hand again when he saw Mingyu was ready to protest. “You are nothing to him Mingyu. The only thing he is afraid of, is the village that feeds him. Do you realize how easily he could have hurt you if he wasn’t scared of the village’s reaction?” his voice was turning cold.

Mingyu kept his mouth shut. The lecture was far from over, he was certain. He clenched his fist and thought about how much worse it would have been if his father knew the whole truth. Mingyu was never going to share Wonwoo’s kindness with anyone. It was a secret he was going to take to his grave.

“Do you know _who_ is this village I’m talking about Mingyu? It’s _me_. I’m the village, I make the rules here. One word from me and every man, woman and child would be on that ugly house of his and burn him with pure fire, like he deserves. All I need is a reason to do it. So don’t you think for one second that your life was spared because the witch boy was scared of _you._ If you’re unharmed today, it’s all because of me.” Mingyu’s father said.

“Yes father.” Mingyu replied dutifully. “I made a mistake. I apologize.”

“You’re all grown up Mingyu. Don’t be a stupid boy. Never step foot near that house again.” his father finished.

The silence was heavy. It was only broken by the sound of cutlery Mingyu’s father used to cut the meat and drink the soup. Nobody else dared move, not even his mother. Mingyu’s heart felt like it beat too loud in his chest. _It could have been worse,_ he kept repeating to himself. _It could have been way worse._

“Mingyu still caught the sparrows after this whole ordeal though.” Minghao said then. “Honestly, I would have run straight home if I had been in his position.” he defended Mingyu fearlessly.

Mingyu’s father glanced at him, as if he already was aware of that. “Yes, that was brave of him. If anything, you never give up Mingyu, do you?” he directed those words back at Mingyu.

“Like you taught me, father.” Mingyu tried to smile.

“Like I taught you.” his father nodded. “I pray every day that you use that stubbornness for your own good, my boy.” he said.

After that, the dinner slowly went back to normal. Mingyu’s mother started chatting about the ladies at the market, about Sooyoung’s new cherry pie recipe, about Lady Hani’s delayed wedding, and all kind of normal things that Minghao eagerly replied to but they really only worked to bore his father and calm him down.

Normal was good. Mingyu’s father would fight anything that was outside the concept of normalcy he had made for this village. Mingyu only briefly stepped out of it and faced his father’s wrath, and his appetite was already gone, despite the delicious smell of the meat.

_It could have been worse._ His father didn’t ask Minghao about his own hunting experience, even if he had managed to catch a deer. In the end, it would be Mingyu who inherited their properties, their fields and their animals, not Minghao. It wasn’t as if Mingyu’s father hadn’t tried to treat them equally when they were younger, but at this point in their lives, he had no choice but to play favourites.

Minghao himself was purposely putting distance between them himself, what with how he openly didn’t agree with some of his morals and was already beginning to make a home of himself somewhere else. Mingyu wasn’t allowed to do that. He was never going to be as free as his adopted brother.

_It still could have been worse though._ He could have been born in a world that didn’t want him. His parents could have died at a young age, he may have had to be raised by monks, living a childhood full of prayers and fasting, without any other child to play with.

He could have an entire village hate him for being strange. People could lie about him being evil in order to selfishly keep themselves safe. Mingyu would have never been able to survive if it had been like that for him.

~~~

_A flock of sparrows was resting somewhere near the top of the mountain. They were squeaking loudly at each other, unwillingly sharing food and shelter from the harsh wind and predators of the night. The animals weren’t bothered that two members of their flock never made it back from their morning search of food. Unlike humans, they probably didn’t even notice whenever some of their kind went missing._

_Animals were thought to see and feel a lot less than humans. They didn’t have powerful minds, or a sense of logic. They only had their instinct, which made them inferior organisms to the all-seeing humans._

_The wind blew and the skies were clear. There were so many stars, planets, and even galaxies to see in the night sky from atop the mountain. The humans on the village looked on, as if those stars, planets and galaxies were ever going to get closer._

_The sparrows though, weren’t stranded at the ground, only able to look longingly at the sky. In the middle of the night, one took off, separated from the rest of the flock and decided to fly on it, map it with its wings. It turned its back on the moon and looked the world of the humans from the above._

_That sparrow, even with its unevolved brain, had a perspective of the earth no human had managed to understand. The earth was too small compared to the infinity of the sky. That was something the sparrow knew, something that was in its blood._

_But humans just stayed rooted on the earth, not even once thinking about how it would be to flip their world upside down and look at it from above. So that one sparrow that flew against the wind at the top of the mountain, the sky below its feet and the ground above its head, looked down on the all-knowing humans with pity._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there we have it, the first meeting ಥ◡ಥ  
> Fun fact, I have read over and edited this chapter about a billion times. I initially wrote it on my phone, then I had to move it to my laptop, and things just escalated from there. This is the most proof-read chapter of this fic.  
> Feedback is always appreciated, see you in five days!


	3. Pourquoi je meurs?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back!  
> I'm so glad people are actually reading this it feels surreal TT  
> This is my least favourite chapter in this fic but it is necessary for the plot.  
> Let's go!

“Kim Mingyu!” Kyulkyung called the moment she laid her eyes on him, from behind her usual counter.

Mingyu groaned. He had managed to avoid the market for a whole week after his hunting incident. He prayed that in that time, the girls would have forgotten all about it. Anything to let that story blow over. He had been working in the fields with his mother every day, letting Minghao take on any job that needed interaction with other human beings.

“Good morning Kyung.” Mingyu said as he approached her. “Ladies.” he bowed a little at the rest of the girls.

“I saw that groan. Where have you been? Avoiding us, perhaps?” she inquired with a smirk.

No matter what Minghao said, Mingyu was certain that girl had it out for him. Why couldn’t she be a little sweeter like Nayoung? It was a bright, sunny day, probably one of the last of the season, as September was ending. Why did Kyulkyung have to ruin it by asking questions Mingyu didn’t want to answer?

“I would never. As much as I love your company, there is one woman who I am always going to rush to her side if she needs my help.” he said enigmatically.

“Who?” a brown-haired girl exclaimed with wide eyes.

“My mother.” Mingyu smiled at them.

The girls cooed at him, and Mingyu knew he had won them over. Even if they had thought ill of him before, there was no way they were going to hold a grudge against him now. Kyulkyung rolled her eyes, and Mingyu just knew that if she wasn’t mindful of her manners, she would have pretended to puke. At this point, Mingyu was convinced that this girl’s soul was a dark as her black hair.

“Is your mother okay?” Nayoung shyly asked. “Do you perhaps need anything?

“Yes she is, my dear, no need to fret.” Mingyu beamed at her. “How thoughtful of you.”

Nayoung smiled at him, her eyes warm. That was the appropriate maiden behaviour. Kyulkyung should be taking notes.

“She is so fine in fact, that she has made me a list full of things to buy for her.” Mingyu chuckled, waving the empty basket in his hands.

“Let’s not hold you back then.” Kyulkyung said. “Send my love to Hao.” she waved, almost dismissively.

“Have a nice day!” Mingyu said to all the girls who were waving him goodbye as well.

Alright. Since not even Kyulkyung brought up last week’s hunting mess, then it was safe to assume that it had been catalogued as unimportant and therefore forgotten. Another weight off Mingyu’s chest. He finally felt light as he started walking in the market.

There were so many colours here, it never failed to amaze Mingyu. Lady Sooyoung had made lemon pie, the sweet smell wafting around and overpowering the smell of the chicken and other animals. Mingyu exclaimed in surprise when he saw a few tiny, orange pumpkins on the stall of one old man.

“They are in season already?” he asked happily.

“Just barely, son. They’re still weenie, but when they get bigger, you know who you should buy them from, aye?” the man patted him on the back. 

Mingyu chuckled and nodded, before he continued on his way. Heechul was wearing a green hat, and this time, he had actually convinced his friend Leeteuk to wear a similar one in pink colour. Leeteuk was a married man. He had his little daughter trailing next to him, holding his hand tightly. On the top of her head, there was a red hat, that she seemed all too excited to wear and match her father and his eccentric friend.

“Mingyu, I see the list in your hand! I have your mother’s lemons here!” one lady saw him from across the street and called to him loudly.

“Ah, yes, of course!” Mingyu hurried to her stall. “How are you doing Miss Park?”

“Same old, same old.” the chubby woman replied, packing the lemons his mother wanted. “I’m a little busy right now, but send your mother your love from me.” she patted Mingyu’s cheek in a motherly way when he paid her, and turned to her next costumer.

After that, Mingyu’s basket was filling up fast. He was almost halfway through the market when he passed by his favourite orange tree. It looked as cool as ever, the green grass underneath it wet and inviting. How he longed to take a rest there. The market was so alive today, he could play _I spy_ with Minghao until their eyes hurt.

He could hear a cow mooing in the distance, behind the purple rags of Jung’s farm. Minghao wasn’t there to play with him. He had to continue and hopefully, if he was finished early, he could come back and sit beneath his favourite tree.

He kept walking towards Seo Youngho’s repair shop. The clanking of wooden planks and boxes that came with the characteristic smell of freshly cut trees was enough to have him slow down a little and peek inside the shop. There were four men working inside, fixing the leg of a wooden table if Mingyu saw correctly. They were so fast with their movements. If Mingyu ever attempted something like that, he would probably end up with a million splinters in his fingers.

“Excuse me.” Mingyu jumped when a quiet voice sounded behind him.

“I’m sorry, I-“ he tried to apologize from blocking the entrance, but his words were cut on his throat when he saw Wonwoo behind him.

His eyes were cast down, careful not to make eye contact with anyone and accidentally cause a scene. His face was passive too, his lips slightly downcast. When Mingyu didn’t move from his place immediately, Wonwoo timidly peeked at his face. Mingyu didn’t know how to feel when the other’s gloom face lit up a little.

“Oh, it’s you.” he said and gave him a tiny smile. “Hi.”

“H-hi…” Mingyu replied automatically.

“May I?” Wonwoo looked behind Mingyu to the shop, and this time, Mingyu got out of the way. Promptly.

He pretended to not see Wonwoo schooling his face back into a neutral expression to face the men in there. He also pretended not to notice he was wearing rags again. His shoes were torn in some points, and his gray shirt was so stretched, it needed to be tied around his slim arms to not fall off.

Mingyu only then remembered that Wonwoo was somewhat working for that shop. They paid him scraps to carry around heavy stuff, deliver boxes of furniture around the village. Wonwoo didn’t exchange many words with the shop owners. In a few seconds he emerged again, this time carrying two wooden boxes with shaking arms.

He smiled as he passed by Mingyu again, that smile that Mingyu was beginning to suspect no one around this village ever got to see. Then Mingyu’s eyes dropped at Wonwoo’s hands. They were bandaged heavily, but whatever wounds he had, had probably reopened because a little blood was sipping through the bandages.

_And he wasn’t making a peep of complaint while carrying boxes probably weighing a little less than his weight._

Mingyu could only feel guilt as he watched him walk away. Had it been anyone else, Mingyu would have offered to help in an instant. Now, he hadn’t even said goodbye to him. And it wasn’t just him. No one was sparing Wonwoo a look as he walked in the market. No one noticed him, and they all feared him. He was like a ghost, pale and hated, between the alive, colorful blend of their village’s market.

With a heavy heart, Mingyu turned his back to him as well. Even though Wonwoo had seen him and smiled, even though that was probably the friendliest he had gotten with anyone that day, Mingyu chose to ignore it and let him continue his gray existence.

The word _shame_ wasn’t enough to convey how he felt during the rest of his walk.

~~~

The smell of incense was one of Mingyu’s favourite smells in the world. It was his favourite part of the church his father had been taking him and their family ever since he could remember himself. It wasn’t that the building wasn’t pretty. It was the most complicated and majestic building in that small village of theirs. It’s fully white walls and the green garden at the yard, lined with wooden benches and white cobble, was a part of Mingyu’s childhood that was deeply embed to his brain.

Every Sunday he would put on his best clothes and walk alongside his father to that place, and once inside, he would take deep breaths of the incense. He always found its scent cleansing. He had grown up thinking that their priest was blessing and protecting them with it, so he had always associated incense with purity.

Mingyu still went to church with his family every Sunday morning. Minghao and he were sitting separately than Mingyu’s parents now, at the boys’ designated seats, but Mingyu still got to spend his morning listening to the soothing voice of their priest and breathing in the smoke of the incense. Even though he didn’t really understand what the priest was saying, he found it was a great time for self-reflection and inner peace.

Minghao coughed next to him. He was allergic to incense.

That was also the reason why Mingyu loved going to church so much when he was younger. He barely spent any time inside the building, as he always kept Minghao, who had to wait outside, company. They had spent so much of their childhood playing around those gardens, throwing pebble at one another and hiding behind bushes, just the two of them, with no supervision, as everyone was inside the church. Mingyu’s mother jokingly called Minghao “her little devil”, but Mingyu wouldn’t trade that allergy of his for anything in the world.

“Mingyu, let’s go.” Minghao hissed at him now too, voice choked.

Mingyu smiled and tried to get up without causing too much disturbance to the others around him. When he stepped on the red carpet of the main corridor, he signaled to his mother who was sitting in the front that they were leaving, and she nodded in approval.

Minghao and he stepped out with a practiced silence that came from years of having to train themselves to cause as little chaos to the ceremony as possible. That silence always disappeared once the main door was securely closed behind them.

“Finally breathable air ahhh!” Minghao leaned on a wall, taking deep breaths of oxygen.

Mingyu smiled and patted his back. He felt too peaceful to share his enthusiasm. “Let’s go take a walk whenever you’re ready.” he said.

It took Minghao a few minutes to pull himself together, complaining all the while about literal God wanting to kill him, but he soon dusted his makeshift gray suit off, and waved at Mingyu to follow him to the garden.

“You’re awfully quiet.” Minghao commented as they approached the trees.

“I’m just contemplating.” Mingyu hummed. “I feel light today.”

“How so?” Minghao asked.

“I’m just thinking about our village. We’re good people, aren’t we? We are surviving together, we are making it work.” he replied thoughtfully.

“I guess…” Minghao kicked a stone away.

“You don’t agree?” Mingyu looked at him curiously.

“I think we are doing what everyone does. Trying our best.” Minghao shrugged.

There was a double meaning behind Minghao’s words. Trying their best didn’t mean they were actually any good. Mingyu supposed that amongst any self-righteous priest, when someone like Minghao said words like these, they held way more power.

Mingyu’s father had really tried his best to adopt Minghao, almost as much as his mother. It was just that his personality and his capabilities hadn’t been enough to ever really consider him an actual son, not like his mother had made it. Minghao had been hurt by this in the past, despite his father never meaning to hurt him. It was really all the man had been capable of back then, and Minghao didn’t hold grudges anymore.

Mingyu and Minghao weren’t speaking as they walked, but it didn’t feel like there was silence between them. The slow, waving motions of the leaves on the trees, the rays of sun that managed to reach the ground, the buzzing of some bees in the distance, nature was around them, always to keep them company and connect them with each other.

It was comforting to think that no matter what, you always tried your best. Even if you failed at something sometime, there was no reason to beat yourself up for it, because you had really tried your best, even if fear, insecurity or simply lack of motivation worked hard to block you.

Maybe another time, the conditions will be such that you will make it. Maybe in the future, there will be no thoughts to hold you back from whatever it is you feel like you should be doing. Mingyu felt stronger when he thought like that. There had been times in life when he had considered himself weak, but now, he felt like the conditions were right. Maybe it was the smell of incense coming from the church, maybe it was Minghao that gave him courage just by being next to him, but right then, he was the best version of himself, however briefly it lasted.

“You’re smiling. Did I say something you liked again?” Minghao bumped him with his hip and Mingyu chuckled.

“Perhaps you did.” Mingyu shrugged, smile not leaving his lips.

Mingyu’s mind felt like it was floating a little higher than usual, he felt like he saw things that he wouldn’t under other circumstances. That was why when he spotted Wonwoo sitting a few benches over, gazing at the church with a passive, far-away look, Mingyu thought that this was fate.

Wonwoo was wearing the same rags from five days ago too. He had shoved his bandaged hands in his pants’ pockets and he was slouching. Mingyu linked his hands with Minghao and urged him to keep walking down the same path.

Mingyu hadn’t been enough of a man the last time he saw Wonwoo. But at the moment, he was, and he didn’t want to risk it and let the moment pass.

Minghao didn’t notice anything as they kept walking. Like everyone in the village, he didn’t pay attention to the ghost-looking boy that was sitting outside the church, looking at it contemplatively without being able to get in. Did Wonwoo like the incense too? He must have grown up in it, after all. A part of him probably missed the ceremonies and the mass prayers the monks used to do. It was his childhood, after all.

Here, he wasn’t even allowed in the church.

“Good morning.” Mingyu called as they walked right past Wonwoo.

The boy was startled and his eyes quickly fell at Mingyu, full of surprise. Mingyu turned his head back to smile at him slightly. He felt Minghao snappily tugging at their linked arms, in his usual “what the hell are you doing let’s get out of here” gesture. Mingyu had half the mind to slap his hand away.

“G-good morning…” Wonwoo replied timidly, clearly having been caught off guard.

And that was it. Mingyu and Minghao walked away, and Mingyu felt only a little disappointed that Wonwoo had been too shocked to give him that faint smile Mingyu had seen before. Minghao was starring at him like he had grown a second head, but Mingyu believed it was worth it.

“Uhh, what the hell?” Minghao asked the moment they were out of earshot.

“Mind your language Hao, we’re at church grounds.” Mingyu chastised him.

“What was that Mingyu? You saw his house once and now you’re best friends?” Minghao was frowning deeply.

“I just said good morning to him.” Mingyu defended himself.

“But, _why?_ We don’t talk to him. Nobody does.” Minghao persisted.

Mingyu pursed his lips. That was exactly what he was fearing. Acknowledging Wonwoo’s existence was going against the mass, it meant breaking out of the normal. And doing something abnormal in this village was always going to get criticized.

It hit Mingyu a little harder that the one who was criticizing him at the moment was his best friend, his brother.

“Earth to Mingyu? What’s wrong with you?” Minghao was asking.

“It was just an act of kindness… I didn’t know you would react that badly…” Mingyu admitted.

“Of course I reacted that badly Mingyu, didn’t you hear your father after your hunting incident? Witch boy is dangerous, we must have absolutely no contact with him!” Minghao kept fuming.

But… it really had only been a small, insignificant act of kindness. Mingyu had said it to excuse himself, because the strength he had been feeling a few moments ago was rapidly vanishing. With the last remaining parts of it, Mingyu saw that the simple “good morning” was such a small gesture, he had no idea why he, or Minghao, were making such a big deal out of it.

There were a lot more things he should be doing for Wonwoo, and anyone in Wonwoo’s position, to be able to call himself a good person. Maybe he wasn’t able to do anything now, maybe he wouldn’t be able to do it tomorrow or anytime in the near future, but perhaps one day Mingyu could become an even greater version of himself than he had been today.

But for now, he just lowered his head and looked to the ground. “I’m sorry.” he said to Minghao sincerely. “I didn’t think this through.”

Minghao sighed. “I don’t know what was going through your stupid head.” he said and pulled Mingyu in a hug. “We’ll never mention to anyone that this happened, okay? Don’t risk yourself again.”

“I won’t.” Mingyu said, feeling smaller and smaller as the seconds passed.

~~~

The market road that lead all the way to the main exit was undoubtedly the core of the village. That was were all the people gathered, that’s where they picked their mayors and spent their everyday lives as children, teenagers and adults.

By that logic, it was also the place that one could see the values of the people that lived there, could see their history and their habits. Mingyu’s father, along with every other religious person of the village, had made sure to keep the market the happiest, most unchanging place of the whole mountain.

Mingyu had loved playing around with the stray dogs as a child, he had made many friends to hang around and get in trouble with. Every corner, every nook and alley had been explored by him at some point, but still, no place could ever beat the small patch of grass under that one orange tree.

He had always thought he was going to propose to the girl he loved under that tree. He had spent time thinking about how he would do it too. Minghao had been sitting next to him all these times, listening carefully. Now that they have grown, Minghao was still always sitting next to him under that tree, always listening to whatever dumb idea came to Mingyu’s mind.

“But what if Lady Hani and Heechul marry?”

“A match made in heaven.” Minghao snickered loudly.

“Look at them Hao! Heechul is twisting the end of his hair between his fingers. That’s what Nayoung always does when we talk.” Mingyu felt like he had stumbled in a goldmine with that discovery of his. It didn’t matter Heechul wasn’t a young girl, attraction was attraction.

Minghao groaned, recognizing the tone of Mingyu’s voice. “You sound too invested already.”

“What if all they need to solve all of theirs and their families’ problems is a little push?” Mingyu asked dreamily. “They are both getting too old to marry. And they like each other. You know people have married for less reasons.”

“Please don’t remind me.” Minghao groaned.

“Hey, I’m not talking about us.” Mingyu elbowed him lightly. “We’re not getting married anytime soon, you don’t have to worry about it so much.”

“I’ve heard the stories Mingyu. This peace will last until one of the girls marry. Then the rest of their parents will fall like hawks on us to secure a safe future for their daughters.” Minghao shivered at the idea. “And I know you like Nayoung, but I don’t really like any of them as more than friends.”

“Hey, I don’t like Nayoung…” Mingyu elbowed him again. “And stop this. This isn’t about us. Look at lady Hani! She gave something to Heechul!” Mingyu almost screeched.

“And as we all know, giving presents to a person definitely means you want to marry them.” Minghao rolled his eyes.

“You’re an unromantic soul, I have no idea why I am talking to you.” Mingyu pouted.

“I’m just saying, Hoseok has been with Eunji for two years now without their parents knowing. I wouldn’t be shocked if they had a surprise wedding if their parents found out. And if that happens, we’re next.” Minghao said gloomily.

“And why would making it official be a bad thing for Hoseok and Eunji?” Mingyu frowned at him.

“Pay attention Gyu. We. Will. Be. Next.” Minghao said darkly.

“Jesus, you should marry Kyulkyung, you have as much of a rotten soul as her.” Mingyu said appalled.

“Now, listen here young man-“

“Shut up, I’m going home.” Mingyu shoved him and got up.

He stomped away as Minghao glared at him. He glanced one last time at Lady Hani and Heechul, wishing from the bottom of his heart for things to work between them.

The thing was, that he had been skipping cleaning his room for three days now. The dust flecks were just so beautiful in the morning, he couldn’t bring himself to wipe them away. That, and he hated cleaning. Blame his father for that, who always said cleaning was a job for women. If he went home now that he knew his mother was on a cleaning spree, he would definitely have no choice but to clean his room for her.

Nobody would know that he made a little detour now, would they?

He walked between the stalls of a flower shop and another one with vegetables from the big cities to get out of the market and back to the quiet dirt roads of the village. He knew who lived in all the small houses he passed by, he had probably been to most of them at some point in his life too. Their village was small, and the mayor and his family were well liked.

A few more turns and he would reach the small playground the kids had put together. He could already hear the laughter of the new generation that was rolling around in the dirt they were going to spend their entire lives stepping on. Mingyu had been the same at some point.

“Hey, Mingyu!” a voice suddenly called him, and every thought about going to play with the kids flew out of his head.

He wasn’t out in the open yet. There would be no one at this street at this time of day. He hated himself for feeling in danger the moment he heard Wonwoo’s voice somewhere that no one else was around, when the boy had been nothing but kind to him, but he still couldn’t disregard the possibility that Wonwoo followed him here where there would be no one to witness anything.

Mingyu turned to look at him slowly, aware that his fear was showing in his eyes. Wonwoo was walking at him quickly, but he slowed down and stopped completely when he saw Mingyu’s expression.

“I… don’t be scared.” he said, as if remembering his place. “You can leave if you want…” he added, schooling his face to remain expressionless again, like that one time Mingyu had seen him entering the woodshop.

Mingyu shook himself. There was no one to see this interaction and report it to his father. As much that fact made Mingyu feel like a coward, it also gave him the courage needed to force himself to stay at his place.

“No, I’m not leaving.” he said, letting Wonwoo know his decision as much as solidifying it with himself. “Hi.” Mingyu attempted a friendly smile.

He was rewarded by the usual faint smile. Wonwoo walked closer, and Mingyu finally noticed that he was holding some kind of bundle in his hands.

Hands that no longer were bandaged, even though it had barely been a week since the last time Mingyu had seen him.

“Did you use that orange thing in your hands?” he found himself asking.

“Orange…?” Wonwoo looked at him with parted lips for a moment before it clicked. “Ah, yes! I’m surprised you noticed.”

“I mean… The orange thingy is for cuts… Not that hard to remember…” Mingyu said awkwardly.

“I meant the cuts.” Wonwoo said. “It didn’t look like anyone else did.” he added a little more solemnly.

_Oh._

Mingyu felt bad now. Wonwoo must have noticed his expression dropping, because he quickly shook himself and took one step closer to Mingyu, leaving the bundle on the ground next to him.

“It’s fine! It’s better that they didn’t, now that I think about it, because now they would be wondering how the healed so nicely.” Wonwoo said and showed Mingyu his palms. “See? It’s fine, really.”

Mingyu tried to suppress a smile. He distinctively remembered how he used to do the same thing whenever he was hurt at the playground and he ran to his mother to access the damage. How cute was that gesture? To think that he was scared a few seconds ago.

“How did you get those cuts anyway?” Mingyu asked, placing his own hands in his pockets.

“I did something stupid.” Wonwoo said, making a face. “An injured eagle came to my house the other day. I… didn’t know quite how sharp his claws were.”

“…an eagle?” out of all the crazy things Mingyu was prepared to hear, that was not one those. He would have been less surprised if he heard that a potion blew up on him, or if a machine from the future went feral.

“Yeah… I did treat it though, and now that I’m fine it’s like it never happened.” Wonwoo shrugged. “Also… that’s partly why I followed you.” Wonwoo said and bended to pick the bundle up.

Mingyu was curious, but he was careful with how he showed it. He wasn’t in alarm anymore, but he had a feeling that no matter what, he was never going to be prepared for what Wonwoo uttered.

He looked at the bundle with interest as Wonwoo unveiled it carefully. His wrist was so thin. Mingyu had a feeling that it had gotten even thinner since the last time he had seen him. He couldn’t have been able to cook properly with those cuts on his palms, could he? Which led to another question, could Wonwoo even cook? Mingyu hadn’t met many men in his life that could cook.

The bundle was finally opened and Mingyu’s eyes bulged. Wonwoo wasn’t a normal person, he should really stop comparing him with the rest useless men of this village. Inside that innocent-looking bundle there was a dozen of arrows, sharpened and shining. And what kind of feather-

“The eagle shed a few of its his feathers.” Wonwoo explained at Mingyu’s shocked face.

“What?! Seriously?!” he quickly picked up an arrow and examined it. “No way! This can’t be real eagle feathers!” he said.

“I painted over them… So you know, they don’t really look like eagle feathers.” Wonwoo admitted. “But I promise you they are real.”

Mingyu didn’t think for a second to doubt him. He had seen eagle feathers before, that one time a merchant from the cities made the trip all the way to their village. He had a single arrow embed with eagle feathers, and Mingyu remembered he had looked at it like it was some kind of royalty. There was no doubt that those feathers were of the same kind, even though they have been tampered with so people wouldn’t be able to tell from afar.

“Why would you not want them to look like eagle feathers?” Mingyu asked with genuine curiosity.

“Because then people would ask where you got them from.” Wonwoo explained.

Mingyu’s jaw dropped. “You want me to have them?” he asked with barely contained excitement.

“You seem like you like them.” Wonwoo smiled again.

Like them? _Like them?_ Those royalty ass eagle arrows, rumored to pierce straight through any wind with minimum curving? There had been one point in his life, admittedly one very dark and stupid point, that Mingyu would have exchanged Minghao for one of these.

But… Mingyu remembered how fascinated he had been with that one arrow he had seen when he was 13 years old. He also remembered _clearly_ the price it was being sold.

“Do you know how much you could make if you sold those?” Mingyu asked seriously. “I can’t accept that Wonwoo.”

Wonwoo’s face fell. “I don’t understand. I saw your arrows, these will be much better, I promise.” he said.

Mingyu sighed. “I seriously don’t deserve them… Why would you even think about giving them to me?” he asked, trying really hard to find Wonwoo’s thought process.

“Well… You’ve been kind to me. And nobody came to burn down my house after you were hurt there so…” Wonwoo shrugged. He saw that Mingyu wasn’t convinced though, and he took a deep breath. “I don’t know who else to give them to.” he muttered.

_Oh._

Mingyu was beginning to feel bad again. Before he could drown in guilt, he tried to reason with Wonwoo one last time. “Why don’t you keep them? I’m sure they can’t get you a lot of money if-“

“It’s okay, I don’t need them.” Wonwoo pushed the arrows to Mingyu’s direction with a finality that couldn’t be questioned.

 _It’s okay, I don’t need them._ Coming from a person who was dressed in rugs but still fed feral cats with dried meat, Mingyu didn’t know what to make of this statement. Wonwoo was just smiling faintly at him again.

“T-thank you…” it was all Mingyu could say. “I… I don’t know what to say.” _I’m sorry. I’m not being as kind to you as I should. I don’t have the power._

Wonwoo looked pleased anyway. “Don’t feel burdened to talk to me now okay? You can pretend this meeting never happened, I won’t tell anyone either.” he said reassuringly.

Mingyu nodded. He couldn’t pretend that he wasn’t relieved to hear those words, no matter how much of a terrible person it made him feel. Wonwoo’s clothes were not as ragged as the ones he usually wore, but they were still too big on his thin frame. Why was he so thin but still refusing to sell those arrows to buy food?

“Goodbye then.” Wonwoo waved at him.

“Goodbye.” Mingyu didn’t hesitate to call back this time. If anything, he was learning from his mistakes.

Wonwoo walked away with a bit more confidence that when he had walked closer. He still fixed his face and casted his eyes to the ground before he walked into a public road, but Mingyu had seen it. Frankly, he had seen so much of Wonwoo this past month, and he had no idea what he was getting himself into.

He clutched the arrows to his chest instead, letting some of his excitement return. _A dozen of eagle feathered arrows?_ Fate was too kind with him. He practically skipped all the way to his home, playground forgotten. He was going to clean his room in five minutes then spend the rest of his day target practicing with Wonwoo’s gift. And maybe in between, he could spend some time trying to convince Minghao to set up lady Hani and Heechul. Everyone deserved some love after all, didn’t they?

~~~

Another half month passed since then. Mingyu wasn’t taking any chances to run into Wonwoo again in the market. He put all the effort he usually preserved for his dreaded conversations with Kyulkyung into avoiding the evil witch boy.

Nevermind he probably wasn’t a witch and the furthest from evil Mingyu had ever seen anyone being.

He had been bottling up thoughts like those for two weeks now. No one had ever occupied his mind so much. All Mingyu could think about now when he ate deer was how that little one he had chased to Wonwoo’s house was doing. If Wonwoo was feeding it properly, then it would no longer be in average size at all.

“Did you hear, did you hear?” Mingyu’s mother said, serving the last of the deer on the dinner table.

“What is it dear?” Mingyu’s father asked.

“Seohee’s daughter Eunji is getting married with Jung’s son!” she announced.

Mingyu choked on his salad.

“Oh, that’s wonderful news. Mingyu, they’re your age, aren’t they?” his father asked.

_No way._

“They are indeed.” his mother nodded. “We should not forget that our Mingyu is of age to get married too now. You should start your own family soon, my baby.” she added, patting Mingyu’s head.

“Minghao too. We have to take care of him too.” his father added as an afterthought.

Mingyu thought his mother looked relieved at his words, but it might have just been in his imagination. “Of course Minghao too! He’d make a great husband. Mingyu baby, why are you coughing so much, is your neck sore?” she finally turned to Mingyu with a worried face.

 _Minghao where are you in this time of need?_ Mingyu desperately thought. He needed Minghao’s bravery to tell their parents that they were still too young, that they had time. But alas, Minghao was at his own home that night. _Stupid, stupid Minghao, why did you have to jinx it?_

He forcefully swallowed his bite and gulped down a glass of water. “I’m fine mother.” he said, his voice gruff. “Don’t you think it’s a little early to settle down? I want to try my chances with love.” Mingyu said diplomatically.

“I’m sure any girl would fall in love with someone as handsome as you after marriage.” his mother said.

“I’d say we have to hurry, before the good ones are taken.” his father nodded in agreement.

Mingyu knew a battle already lost when he saw one. He would have talk to his parents about this later, with Minghao on his side. Minghao would be heaps more qualified at defying their wishes than Mingyu.

“Anyway, I met with High Monk Junmyeon again.” Mingyu’s father thankfully changed the subject of the conversation.

 _The one Wonwoo grew up with,_ Mingyu’s mind uselessly provided.

“How is he? Did he need anything?” his mother asked dutifully.

“He is okay. He asked if we were well prepared for heavy rain, because he predicts there will be a lot this season.” Mingyu’s father explained.

“The monks always look out for us, how sweet of them.” his mother said gratefully.

“As we look out for them.” his father nodded. “That’s how it has always been between our village and their monastery. I hope our children continue that tradition.” he said and looked at Mingyu pointedly.

“Of course.” Mingyu hurried to say. “We worship God in this village, and we are friends with his followers. The next generation will be no different.” he said exactly what he knew his father would appreciate more.

“That’s my boy.” his father patted his back. He took a bite out of his deer. “I thank God daily for this family and this fortune. You are my most precious people.” he said.

And despite everything, Mingyu knew he meant it. His father would readily give his life to protect their little family, Mingyu was aware of that. Like everyone, he tried his best, and Mingyu had no choice but to respect that. He could never hate his father for being too strict and wanting what was best for them. Even if it was hard sometimes, when Mingyu was having dinner with them all like this, he couldn’t help but feel blessed.

~~~

_At midnight, even the lively market of the village that was atop the mountain quieted down. The stalls were covered with wood and cloth, a mediocre attempt to block any thieves to steal the goods. Humans can get like that. When they are suffering, they don’t realize that there are others exactly like them who are suffering. They lose the ability to look around them, get a real grasp of the world they so stubbornly refuse to look away from. Not only they only look the Earth from its surface, but because of the filters they put in their brains, they can’t even look at its real form._

_There was a lone orange tree a little before the middle of the long road to the exit of the village. Every winter it bore its fruits, and every winter, the adults ignored its fruits and bought those from the stalls next to it. They blindly refused to taste what the lone orange tree had to offer because it didn’t grow in a field with trees similar to itself, because its fruits were not sold in stalls along the rest of the oranges._

_The lone orange tree was different amidst the market. And because of that, nobody wanted to taste its fruits._

_Little did the villagers know that those oranges were the freshest they could find. Little did they know that they possessed sweetness that came from the natural sunlight and water, not special soil and programmed watering._

_But the lone orange tree stayed there amongst those people, because its roots didn’t allow it to leave. Everyday, it gazed at everyone coming and going, it took in the colours and the sounds. It saw the world it had grown up clearly, with no filter, while it kept wondering from how many different perspectives it would have been able to see the same market if it hadn’t been rooted to the ground._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It physically hurt me to write Wonwoo like this in this fic. Things will get better for him, I promise :(  
> The next chapter will be up in five days, unless I get too impatient and feel the need to share earlier.  
> Feedback is always appreciated, love you!


	4. Pourquoi je ris?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Chapter 4 wooooo and issa long one.  
> We're introducing some side characters here. I wrote them kinda evil AND IM SORRY I love all of them but I needed someone to act like this TT. They will get what they deserve in the end I promise.
> 
> ALSO I can't stress this enough, you should listen to this song WITH THE SUBTITLES  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W29zEuZVaxs&t=1s  
> It's like, half the experience of this fanfic.

In a small village like Mingyu’s, age didn’t matter when making friends. There weren’t many people around his own age to begin with, and that was one of the reasons Minghao and he had stuck together all those years. Even if they hadn’t grown up under the same roof while sharing the same parents, Mingyu had no doubt they would have been great friends.

That was not to say that Mingyu didn’t have any other friends in that small village.

“Look how much you’ve grown you dummy!” Yongsun, the petite woman with long blonde hair that used to be three heads taller than him when they were younger, now had to climb on a tree trunk to squish his cheeks. “This is unfair to all women who used to baby you.”

“Men too.” Jinhwan added bitterly from his corner.

These two were the oldest. Jinhwan, standing proudly at 165 cm, used to play with them because the older kids never wanted him in their groups. Mingyu had secretly always been thankful to the generation before him for pushing Jinhwan towards their way. He had always taken care of them when they scraped their knees or twisted their ankles.

Yongsun couldn’t be bothered for things like those. She was usually the first one to get hurt and run to Jinhwan crying. It had been a long time since then, but Mingyu always wondered why Yongsun wasn’t married yet. She was definitely of age. She had always been so youthful though, always hanging around younger kids in the playground.

“We can always team up to bring Mingyu down.” Minghao suggested.

He was sitting on a log next to Kyulkyung, seemingly lost in their endless chat. Mingyu wasn’t surprised that the only moment he decided to join the conversation was to plan his demise. He still stuck his tongue at him, getting an eye roll in return.

“You’re far from entering the short people alliance kid.” Jinhwan snorted at Minghao. “Don’t worry, Changbinnie and I can take care of Mingyu.”

“I’m ready to fight anytime.” Changbin, a boy both younger and shorter than Mingyu boldly declared.

Changbin had two moods. He was either a sweet 18-year-old boy, full of cute habits and smiles, or he was the supreme dark lord of the underworld. No in between.

“Guys come on, he just breathed.” Changkyun clapped his hands to get the attention off Mingyu. “Will anyone that isn’t Yongsun help me with the fire now?”

“I will. The rest of them traitors can choke.” Mingyu said and crouched down next to Changkyun.

They were a few meters behind the village’s wooden fence, in a clearing they had discovered when Mingyu was 13 years old. Over the years, they had dug a shallow hole in the middle of the soil to light fires in, and had put thick logs all around it to sit comfortably.

There had been a time when only Jinhwan was able to light the fire. Every night they gathered there, he had patiently taught the rest how to properly place the wood and rub the flint stones to produce and nurse flame. Mingyu had taken everything in with wide, thirsty for knowledge eyes. It was only now that he realized Jinhwan just taught them so he could sit in a corner and let the other do all the work.

Mingyu put the thinner sticks they had previously gathered in the middle of the pile, and he started placing the bigger ones around them to create a pyramid with a hole on the top so the fire could get oxygen. He also sprinkled a few large, dry leaves he had picked up on their way there, that would be perfect to start the fire.

All that time, Changkyun was rubbing the flint stones over a stick covered in a cloth with alcohol they had brought from home. It was taking him a while.

“Hurry up, we’re getting cold here.” Minghao complained.

Mingyu threw him an annoyed look over his shoulder. “You’ll be fine, you’re colder inside than outside.” he said, making Kyulkyung laugh.

Minghao just frowned at him. Usually, he would have laughed too, even though the joke was at his expense. Minghao wasn’t one to get easily offended. Mingyu had noticed that he had been a little extra pissy ever since they left the village.

“There we go.” Changkyun finally managed to light the stick. “Mingyu move.” he said as he lowered the stick to the little pocket of sticks and dry leaves Mingyu had made.

They quickly caught on fire. Changkyun leaned down and gently blew air at the flames, to make sure they spread and reached the bigger logs. This was the hardest part of building a fire. They had to make sure it properly caught on, or else it would be out in an instance. Changkyun had done this a lot of times in the past though, and after Jinhwan, he was the one who failed to light a fire the less times.

“That’s my boy.” Jinhwan clapped when the fire fully started.

“Thanks dad.” Changkyun snickered and went to sit right between Minghao and Kyulkyung. “So what’s the latest gossip?” he asked, exaggeratedly crossing his legs and leaning his head on his palm.

“We don’t gossip you buffoon.” Kyulkyung kicked his leg, causing him to lose balance.

“We kinda do.” Minghao whispered at her.

“No we don’t.” Kyulkyung persisted. “We were talking about Eunji and Hoseok.”

“How does that _not_ qualify as a gossip?” Changkyun snorted.

“It doesn’t because it concerns us too.” Kyulkyung explained. “They are getting _married,_ Changkyun.”

“Why is that a bad thing?” Changbin asked confused.

Not this speech again. Mingyu should have known that Kyulkyung would have the same opinions on this as Minghao. There were times when it felt like they shared a brain. A dark, soulless brain.

“Because this is how it begins for every generation. If one of us get married, then the parents go crazy. They think that if we don’t all get married by the end of the year it will be the end of the world and they’ll never have grandkids.”

Seriously, Mingyu almost heard that in Minghao’s voice. He couldn’t understand how he loved and cherished Minghao so much, but was on an on-going war with the female version of him.

“You don’t want to get married guys?” Changbin asked curiously.

“No.” everyone echoed.

“But that’s beside the point. I think you’re exaggerating Kyung.” Yongsun said.

“I don’t think-“ Minghao tried to defend his friend, but Yongsun placed a hand on his knee.

“I’m 25 and I’m not married yet.” she said. “Even when every other kid around my age settled down, I didn’t. You should not pressure yourselves to agree to a lifetime of commitment just because your parents said so.”

A bit of silence followed her words. It was not often Yongsun let out her mature side. Mingyu wished he could wholeheartedly agree with her. He wished he lived in a world where his parents’ words weren’t law, but they were just suggestions and advice. As things were, he knew that if his father decided it was time to build a family of his own, then Mingyu would have no choice but to respect that.

Yongsun was another one of the children whose parents had died in the mining accident. She had been 8 years old at the time, and the elders of the village judged that she could continue living alone instead of giving her to another family. Even if Mingyu didn’t doubt that she had faced her own hardships as she grew up, she had never felt the absolute control parents had of their children’s lives.

“Sunnie, let’s get married.” Jinhwan said seriously then, breaking the serious mood and causing everyone to laugh.

No, Yongsun would never agree to a marriage like that. It was no wonder that Kyulkyung and she were the only girls in their little company. They had always been misfits, they always stood out between their group of girl friends. They were like red roses in a field full of white ones. Not as pure and innocent, but still breathtakingly beautiful. Yongsun would have been as bored as Kyulkyung if she had to work in the market with the fabrics.

“You know, there is one person our age in this village who will never have to worry about marriage.” Minghao began talking conversationally.

Mingyu’s head whipped to look at him. The others too turned at him curiously, waiting for him to continue. Minghao paused for dramatic effect, his eyes sweeping over everyone before they landed on Mingyu. Why was Mingyu nervous all of a sudden? Minghao couldn’t be talking about-

“Weird witch boy was 21 this year, wasn’t he?” Minghao finally continued.

Mingyu froze for some reason, like this was a personal attack against him, even though it was nothing of the like. Why would Minghao bring Wonwoo up now, of all times?

“Come on, I thought you had someone important in mind.” Kyulkyung whined and slapped his knee. “Who cares about that person?”

“I’m just saying…” Minghao shrugged. “He is lucky.”

 _No, idiot, he is not._ Mingyu felt angry for some reason. Had Minghao seen him walking around the village without being able to lift his eyes from the ground? Had Minghao noticed how in the three years that he has been living next to the village he had been getting thinner and thinner? Had he thought about how it must feel to live separated than anyone else, without having anyone to talk to in the middle of the forest? If anything, the fact that Wonwoo was never going to get married only suggested how alone and unwanted he was always going to be. That wasn’t luck. That was a curse.

“What’s with that face Mingyu?” Changkyun asked then.

“What?” Mingyu said defensively.

“Your face. You tensed up.” the other pointed out.

Mingyu took a deep breath and forced himself to relax. He realized he had clenched his fists after hearing Minghao’s words and his nails were digging to his palm painfully.

“Mingyu?” Jinhwan asked, his voice already filling with hints of worry.

“It’s nothing…” Mingyu forced himself to say. “Just thinking about even how weird witch boy is luckier than us.”

The moment the words were out of his lip, he felt them turning into poison. How could one person be so weak and pathetic? He was trying his best, but every time it came to Wonwoo he kept failing his conscience.

“Mingyu, you’ve been to his house, haven’t you?” Kyulkyung, Mingyu’s most hated friend, said.

She just _had_ to bring that up now. Mingyu had been trying his best to let the whole thing blow over, but here she was, reminding everyone. He should never have told her and the rest of the girls. That’s what he got for bragging about things he shouldn’t be proud about. In a sense, Mingyu thought that this punishment was fitting.

“Really Gyu? You have?” of course Yongsun would be interested.

“…I have. It’s not that big of a deal.” Mingyu shrugged.

“Nonsense. It was quite an adventure. Mingyu is just shy.” Minghao came to add oil to the fire. Why was he like that today? Mingyu was beginning to feel like there was really something wrong with Minghao if he betrayed him like that.

“How is his house? My father said to never get close to it, ever.” Changbin piped up, apparently also interested.

“It’s just a house. Nothing special. Seriously guys, it’s really not that interesting.” Mingyu said.

“You said that you were hunting a deer and it ran to his house and you fell in a trap.” Kyulkyung said.

“What? Were you hurt?” Jinhwan asked alarmed.

Mingyu was just about to say no, but Minghao didn’t let him. “When he came home he had a nasty cut on his fingers.” he said. “He tried to hide it not to worry us, but I saw it.”

“Can you shut up already?” Mingyu looked at his adopted brother with wide eyes. “Wonwoo didn’t hurt me, I cut myself with an arrow long before I stumbled to his house.” he hurried to explain.

“Are you sure? Maybe he altered your memories, he is a witch after all.” Changbin said suspiciously. “Who knows what he is capable of.”

“No, I’m telling you-“ Mingyu tried to explain again.

“No Mingyu, you don’t understand. You might have been in danger, you might still be.” Jinhwan said.

“You know, it’s high time we paid a visit to that weirdo. We’ve never shown him any reason to fear us like he fears our parents.” Changkyun said and cracked his knuckles.

Mingyu gaped at him.

“Maybe we do need to shake him up a bit, to see that he can’t mess with us with no repercussions.” Jinhwan agreed.

“I’m ready to fight anytime.” Changbin puffed up his chest.

_What?_

Mingyu felt too shocked at what he was hearing. Were those people his friends? Were those people who were ready to gang up on a poor soul just because they have been brainwashed to think he was evil really the people Mingyu called his friends?

…And did Minghao really start all this, knowing what they were going to do? His adopted brother looked satisfied at the turn of the events, he was smirking as he urged everyone one. Mingyu looked at his face, but for the first time since they had been children, he didn’t see anything he liked on that face.

Mingyu turned his eyes away.

“…maybe break down part of his house-“ Changkyun was saying.

“No!” he yelled and stood up. He had had enough. This was all his fault, he wasn’t going to let Wonwoo suffer because of this. “Don’t mess with him okay?” he said to everyone looking at him.

“Mingyu, if you’re scared-“ Yongsun began.

“I’m not scared dammit!” Mingyu hit his foot to the ground. “He didn’t do anything! I won’t let someone innocent get hurt because my stupid friends don’t want to listen to me!” he fumed.

Silence spread after his outburst. The sounds of the forest, along with the cracking of the firewood that burned slowly was the only thing echoing in the dark night. That was, until Minghao shifted in his seat.

“Innocent? Are you sure Mingyu?” he said, clearly judging him.

Mingyu wanted to get out of that clearing. He wasn’t in a mood to see any of those people for the next few days at least.

“I’m leaving.” he announced as he picked up his coat. “If you guys hurt him, I’m never speaking to any of you again.” he spat as he began walking away.

His eyes were getting so blurry by the time he reached the treeline, that he almost bumped into a big fir tree. None of his friends laughed though. They too were shocked at how things had turned. It gave Mingyu a bit of hope that they might reconsider their actions. Maybe they weren’t as shitty people as they had appeared tonight. Mingyu was beyond disappointed in them, but their stunned silence gave him faith.

Everyone kept that silence as he walked away. Everyone but Minghao.

“Nice new arrows by the way!” he called and Mingyu froze again. He turned to look at him with wide eyes. “I had to try them. _I’m sorry I didn’t tell you._ ” Minghao added, his voice heavy with irony.

The others were looking at him confused as to why those words were important after Mingyu blew up on them like that. But Mingyu understood.

 _That was why he was weird all night._ He knew. Mingyu didn’t know how he had made the connection, but he knew. And on one hand, Minghao was right, he should have told him. They always shared everything with each other. Minghao had been there to help him through his entire life, they had always been each other’s pillar of support. Minghao had helped him with archery when he was lacking, he always defended them against his father. Minghao had done everything right.

But Mingyu had a feeling that this was Minghao’s limit. He probably still wanted to help, like the good friend he was, but everything about that night screamed that this was above his abilities. It was as if their father tried to treat Minghao like a real son for once. He couldn’t. And Mingyu knew that if he ever tried to explain his thoughts about Wonwoo to Minghao, he just wouldn’t be able to understand.

Mingyu looked at Minghao for a moment longer, as if it was the first time he ever saw him. In a sense, it was. This was the first time Mingyu had taken a step and Minghao wasn’t there on his side. It hurt, and Mingyu was feeling exposed all of a sudden, but now, he could turn his head and look back at Minghao’s whole form.

Minghao was just like everyone else. Trying his best. Mingyu had never imagined there would be a situation that Minghao’s best wouldn’t be enough for him.

Without any words, he turned his head forward again and left the clearing with his friends behind for good.

~~~

“Did you and Minghao have a fight?”

The inevitable question came barely two days after the incident at the forest. Mingyu hadn’t talked to Minghao since, which incidentally, was the longest he had gone without speaking to him ever since they had been ten, and Minghao had broken his favourite toy.

Of course Mingyu’s mother would be the first to notice that something wasn’t right between her two boys. It looked like the moment she realized she rushed to Mingyu’s room to ask him about it, because she was still in her cooking apron and was holding her broom in her hand.

“Kinda.” Mingyu answered half-heartedly. “It’s not Minghao’s fault.” he added as an afterthought.

“Is it your fault then?” his mother asked, leaning on the doorway.

The dinner was ready, a little sooner than it was supposed to, as Mingyu’s father wasn’t home yet. The smell wafting in the room behind his mother was so mouth-watering, but it was an unwritten rule that they had to wait for his father before they ate. He was coming home soon anyway. The sun was almost fully down.

Mingyu thought about his mother’s question for a second. “Not really…” he answered eventually.

“How can that be, baby?” she asked.

“It’s just… the situation. I don’t think we will ever be able to understand each other when it comes to this.” Mingyu explained as vaguely as he could.

His mother hummed in understanding. “True friends always try their best to understand each other.” she said.

“Sometimes, one’s best isn’t enough for the other.” Mingyu said gloomily.

“Nonsense.” his mother waved him off with a smile on her face. “There is not a limit to what you can do for your friend. This “best” your talking about, it is not fixed. Maybe you are lacking when you first meet someone, but as time passes, you both become a lot stronger so you can be enough for each other.”

Mingyu looked at her with parted lips for a moment. He hadn’t thought about it like that. Was she saying that there wasn’t a limit to how much someone had to offer? Then what about his father? Why hadn’t he been able to love Minghao all these years like a true son?

 _Because he has given up,_ a voice spoke inside Mingyu. Mingyu’s father cared about Minghao, he truly did, but he didn’t care enough to try to become even better for him. And to be honest, Minghao didn’t care anymore either. They both had reached their “best” with each other, but that was only because neither was willing to try any harder and surpass it.

Did… did Minghao think Mingyu was worth enough to try and get better for him? It was Minghao who was lacking this time… Was he really capable to overcome himself, overcome even his father who had taught them both to give up, and become stronger for Mingyu? If there was a chance this could happen, Mingyu absolutely wasn’t going to give up on him. If there a chance for Minghao to take this step with him, then Mingyu was going to wait for as long as needed.

And in the meantime… didn’t he too want to become stronger for someone?

“What’s with that face? Don’t look at me like that. Hurry up and make up with Hao! I can’t have you fighting with your brother over dinner whenever he decides to visit us.” his mother scolded him, waving the broom around a little for emphasis.

Mingyu didn’t know if he wanted to laugh or cry. This was such a mother thing to do, first smothering him with wisdom and then yelling at him to fix himself. He got up from his bed and enveloped her in a bear hug.

“I love you mom.” he said, burying his head in her hair. “I don’t know what I would do without you.”

“Ah, my dear Mingyu.” she sighed, patting him on the back. “You’d be just fine, my boy. You’re one of the kindest people I’ve ever seen.” she said.

 _I wasn’t as kind as I could have been._ That thought plagued him day and night, it was torturing him and it made him doubt everything about himself.

Wonwoo had given him those precious arrows because he had simply thought Mingyu, a total stranger, was going to like them. That was true kindness, not the half assed thoughts Mingyu always seemed to have, but never voice out. Wonwoo had even gone into trouble to paint over them, so no one would understand how precious they actually were and question their origin. He did all this, even though he could have sold them and make a lot to money, and hopefully buy food to feed himself.

Wonwoo was really too thin.

Maybe that was what Mingyu needed to do to become stronger. Would it be too crazy to go back to this strange house, uninvited and definitely unexpected, if it was to bring Wonwoo something to eat and get healthier?

Yes, it was too crazy. That was exactly how he knew it was the right thing to do.

“Mom, can you put a bit of your soup in a bowl to take out?” Mingyu asked his mother.

“Of course my baby.” his mother readily agreed.

She must have thought he was going to Minghao’s house to make up with him. He knew he couldn’t do that though. That was Minghao’s battle. All Mingyu could do was wait and cheer for him to be the bigger man and come talk to him.

Mingyu got dressed and joined his mother in the kitchen. She had already packed a bowl with her famous vegetable soup and she had even put some bread to the bag Mingyu was to take with him. Mingyu wished she had some meat too. Wonwoo could use all the energy he could get.

“Remember what I told you, okay baby?” Mingyu’s mother hugged him one more time. “I believe you can work it out.”

“Thank you. Don’t worry, I’m really doing my best here.” Mingyu laughed nervously.

His mother accompanied him all the way to the door and crossed him with her fingers three times as he put his shoes on.

“Goodbye baby, I wish you the best.” she waved at him as he began walking away.

“See you soon!” Mingyu waved back.

The sky was getting darker. By the time he was out of the village, it would probably be completely dark. The wind was also picking up, but that was normal for this time. He glanced at the closed door of his house one more time before it was completely out of sight.

 _What am I doing?_ The fear hit him, but he just kept walking. As long as he could still walk, he would reach his destination. He had enough power to at least do that.

Mingyu never liked walking on the market road when it was dark and everything was closed. He could only compare the cold sight in front of him with the colorful, lively version of the same road in the morning. In the night, the market looked dead. Mingyu knew he had no reason to be afraid of the lack of people on the streets, or the heavy silence that allowed the wind to howl louder. After all, all the people that were there in the morning were just in their homes, a few streets over. Even as Mingyu walked on the empty road, he could still see the smoke coming out of the multiple chimneys around him, he could still hear the kids’ laughter and he could smell delicious food from every direction. His village was alive and well. And he was going to be fine as well.

As he had expected, the night has fallen heavily by the time he was passing the wooden fence that surrounded the village. It was only a short walk from there to Wonwoo’s house. 

He walked on the small dirt path carved between the trees and the bushes that led to the clearing that had been given to Wonwoo to build his house. Mingyu remembered how the entire village has pitched in a little help at building the first two rooms of that house. Everything to get Wonwoo out of their village as fast as possible. Three years later, and no man has stepped foot near that same clearing ever again, except him.

Wonwoo still kept the path from his house to the village clear. The bushes and the weeds at the sides of the path were trimmed neatly, and there had been an obvious effort to make the ground itself even, with no holes or bumps. It couldn’t have been anyone from the village that did this. If it was up to them, this path would have been covered the moment it was created.

Also, who else would have thought to trim and take care of the plants of the forest like it was a garden other than Wonwoo? The path looked beautiful, even in the dark, but everyone would have thought that it was such a waste of time, especially if no one ever walked on it. Not Wonwoo, apparently.

After one turn to the left, Mingyu saw the clearing. The house looked bigger at night, with half of it hidden in the shadows and half bare to the moonlight. He could see light coming out some windows on the main room, the one with the many pillows. This was probably the room than Wonwoo used as a living room.

Mingyu had to be careful as he stepped closer. He didn’t want to fall into any of those traps again. They were harmless enough, but if he fell to the ground now, he would spill all the soup and then his trip would have been for naught.

He walked carefully, barely making half a step at the time. Until he saw it. There was a thin string connecting the bushes in front of him, and it expanded both to the left and to the right. Mingyu assumed it was circling the entire house. He smirked triumphantly as he simply stepped over it. No stupid trap could fool him anymore. The moment he was out of the trees, he sped up again until he was right in front of the wooden door.

It hit him again just what he was about to do.

He swallowed hard.

This was crazy.

If his father ever found out there would be hell to pay. He still had time to leave. Wonwoo hadn’t seen him, no one had. He could just go to Minghao’s house like his mother thought he had and pretend this never happened. He could-

His hand knocked on the door, as if it had moved on its own will. Mingyu quickly sobered up. No, he wasn’t going to run. This was were he wanted to be, no matter how scared he was. He was trying to be a better man, of course it would be scary.

He felt like his heart was going to leap out of his chest when he saw the door creaking open, barely one centimeter.

“Who is it?” came Wonwoo’s uneasy voice.

Mingyu almost face palmed. Of course Wonwoo would be suspicious of anyone knocking at his door in the middle of the night. Mingyu was glad that he wasn’t too trusting, who knows what could have happened if he eagerly greeted anyone as malicious as Mingyu’s friends had been that night.

“Uhh it’s Mingyu.” Mingyu tried to say lightly.

The door opened a bit more. Wonwoo’s eyes were visible now, narrowly peeking at him.

“Mingyu?” he asked curiously. “What are you doing here?”

“I uhh… I brought you food.” Mingyu said, lifting the bag his mother had given him for the other to see.

Wonwoo’s eyes visibly travelled down to take in the bag, then back at Mingyu’s face. He took a step back and opened the door halfway. The smell of boiled water wafted in the air, bland and light. Mingyu could see Wonwoo’s body now. He was wearing a thick green shirt and white, flexible pants, nothing like the rags he wore to the town. His arm was suspiciously behind his back though, and Mingyu instinctively took a step back.

“I… I can leave… If it’s not a good time, or anything…” he mumbled.

“Are you here alone?” Wonwoo asked, brow still furrowed.

“Yeah.” Mingyu admitted.

Wonwoo took a tiny step outside his house and looked around. And yes, there was indeed a knife in his hand, a small, sharp kitchen knife. This had been a bad idea, Mingyu knew it. He took another step backwards, slightly raising his bag with the bowl of soup if he needed to defend himself.

“This isn’t a prank or anything, is it?” Wonwoo asked, and _oh._

Suddenly all this made sense. Wonwoo must have noticed that Mingyu was slowly backing away because he also took a step back, grabbing the edge of his door, ready to close it.

 _He is scared too,_ Mingyu realized. He just came here out of the blue to offer food, of course Wonwoo would assume the worst. People hadn’t been kind to him in the past. Mingyu felt stupid for having doubts about him again.

 _Never again,_ he promised himself.

“This isn’t a prank.” Mingyu said with a steady voice. “I’m sorry, I should have told you I was coming. My manners are bad.” he lowered his head apologetically.

Wonwoo seemed to relax a little at his words. “It’s okay.” he said, his voice softening a little.

“I really did bring you food.” Mingyu lifted the bag again. “My mother made it, I promise it is delicious.” he smiled proudly.

The left corner of Wonwoo’s lips lifted up, a ghost of his usual faint smile.

“And you really brought it here for me?” he asked, now with genuine curiosity. “Why?”

“Because I don’t need it, but it looks like you do.” Mingyu replied truthfully.

“I…” Wonwoo opened his mouth to reply but closed it again, his words lost. He hesitated a bit before he extended his arm and took the bag. “Thank you.” he said simply.

“You’re welcome. Eat it all and stay healthy.” Mingyu felt something warm inside him as he said that. He had really done it. He overcame himself and his fears and did what he wanted to do for at least two weeks.

“Wait.” Wonwoo said, finally opening the door fully. Mingyu glanced inside the house, at the small kitchen that was visible from the door. There was a pot of something cooking on it, explaining the smell from before. “I was actually cooking dinner before.” Wonwoo briefly looked back at the pot then back at Mingyu.

“Oh.” Mingyu felt a little disappointed now. “It’s okay, you can keep the soup and eat it another-“

“Do you want to eat with me?” Wonwoo said, averting his eyes.

Mingyu felt his heart speeding up again. Every logical part of his brain was screaming “no, don’t go inside the house of the man with the knife”. But Mingyu hadn’t done anything logical that night. Logic sometimes had to be pushed away to grow as a person.

And that went for Wonwoo too. How much courage must it have taken him to even ask Mingyu something like that? For once, he wasn’t looking straight at Mingyu’s eyes as he waited for answer. Did he do that to defend himself against a hurtful rejection? Mingyu bit his lip and swallowed his nerves. He had done so much already, he didn’t want to mess up now.

“If you’ll have me.” he forced a smile after the prolonged silence.

It was almost funny how quickly Wonwoo perked up. “Really?” he asked, eyes wide in disbelief.

“Really.” Mingyu’s smile turned genuine.

“Umm, come inside then.” Wonwoo stepped to the side and gestured inside the house with the hand that was still holding the knife. Mingyu chuckled when Wonwoo realized how that looked and quickly tried to apologize. “Uhh that’s not… I mean… you don’t need to be scared.”

“It’s okay. I don’t think you’ll chop me up after eating that delicious food I brought you.” he said as confidently as could and walked in.

Wonwoo chuckled nervously and closed the door behind him.

Like last time, Mingyu wanted to spend at least an hour just staying still and looking at everything. The room was lit by the fireplace and the multiple lanterns on the kitchen counter and the table. The pillows and blankets on the couch were as messy and inviting as last time, especially because they were in front of the lit fire place.

Now that he had more time, he noticed that right next to the door there were some wooden branches, as if a tree was growing between the bricks. It was polished and clean, and various pieces of clothing and keys were hanging from it. How had Wonwoo done that? It really looked like the vines of a tree.

There was another thing at the right side of the room, right next to the kitchen. It was made of what Mingyu assumed was metal. It consisted of a long stick that ended in a bowl-like part. Beneath the bowl part, there was a thin and long piece of cloth that was hanging limply on the floor. Oh, and the whole thing had wheels. Mingyu looked at that object a little longer before he decided he was never going to guess what it was used for.

Wonwoo walked to the kitchen counter and put the knife away. “You can leave your coat and shoes at the tree.” he pointed at the place were the other pieces of clothes were hung too. Mingyu noticed that indeed, in the lower branches there were shoes hanging. He snorted at the sight.

“You hang your clothes and shoes together?” he asked, amazed at the idea.

“I find it takes less space than a wardrobe.” Wonwoo shrugged.

“It’s prettier too.” Mingyu agreed, hanging his coat on the tallest branch. It felt like he was decorating, somehow. Wonwoo probably couldn’t reach that branch normally, so now that Mingyu had placed his coat there, the tree looked fuller. He hanged his shoes at the bottom too, and he remained with just his white socks.

“I uhh, I don’t have a second pair of slippers.” Wonwoo admitted. “You can take mine.” he said and tossed Mingyu the ones he was wearing.

“It’s okay, I don’t get cold easily.” Mingyu tried to refuse.

“I don’t care, you’re my first ever guest.” Wonwoo smiled slightly. “You can sit at the table, I’ll bring the food.”

It felt surreal to Mingyu that he was sitting at the table at _Wonwoo’s house_ for dinner. Even the table looked abnormal. It had splotches of different colours on it, like it had been painted different colours at different times and now they had all faded to become this pretty mess.

“Just a fair warning, I’m not a good cook.” Wonwoo said.

“I’ll be the judge of that.” Mingyu said lightly.

“I mean, compared to your mother, I’m probably lacking a lot.” Wonwoo persisted.

“So what if you do? You can still cook. That’s not a skill lots of men have.” Mingyu told him.

Wonwoo didn’t reply. He had his back turned on Mingyu, pouring the soup he had made into a bowl. The vegetable soup Mingyu had brought was right next to it, along with the bread and an empty vial of something.

“It would be nice not to cook sometimes. It is quite the dreadful task.” Wonwoo suddenly began talking again.

“Dreadful?” Mingyu snorted. “Have you ever lit your kitchen on fire?”

“More than once, actually. Why did you think that table had to be repainted so many times?” Wonwoo said, as if he was recalling a terrible memory.

“Oh my god, no.” Mingyu couldn’t help but chuckle. “Will I be safe eating that then?” he joked.

Wonwoo kept his face straight as he answered him. “I would hope so. You’ve been kind to me.”

Mingyu smiled at him, but he didn’t think it was appropriate to laugh. Wonwoo slowly placed the two plates, the bread and two spoons between them. After everything was ready, he sat down opposite of Mingyu. There was a weird eye contact between them as no one made a move to eat.

“Let’s eat then.” Wonwoo shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

“What about our prayers?” Mingyu asked.

“Oh, you’re religious?” Wonwoo murmured.

“…are you not?” Mingyu looked at him curiously.

“Not really.” Wonwoo shrugged.

Another surprise. “Weren’t you…” Mingyu didn’t know how to word this without sounding rude.

“Raised in a monastery?” Wonwoo said knowingly. Mingyu nodded. “The monks were kind enough to not brainwash me into following a religion I wasn’t really into.” Wonwoo explained.

“So you don’t believe in God?”

Wonwoo tapped his fingers on the wooden table while pursing his lips in thought. He didn’t answer immediately, so Mingyu knew he was picking his words carefully. He sighed at the end and picked up his spoon. “That’s… probably a conversation for another time.” he said in the end.

Mingyu didn’t want to pretend he wasn’t disappointed. Everything Wonwoo said was so unique. It was a rare opportunity to be able to hear about his beliefs, no matter how crazy or abnormal they were. Mingyu was sure many in the village believed he worshiped Satan or something. He would have loved to let them know that they were wrong.

“Let’s meet another time so you can tell me then.” Mingyu grabbed his own spoon.

Wonwoo was looking at him like he couldn’t quite believe he was hearing these words.

“Let’s eat.” Mingyu urged him to move. “I really want to taste what you made.”

Wonwoo smiled faintly like he always did and started eating. He was eerily silent from then on, smile not leaving his lips. He made no comment on the soup though, and Mingyu was actually a little peeved by that.

“Do you like it?” Mingyu asked.

Wonwoo looked up at him with the same disbelieving look. “Yeah, it’s delicious.” he nodded. “I… feel kind of bad for what I gave you now…” he muttered.

“Now I’m just curious.” Mingyu said and finally tasted Wonwoo’s attempt at what looked like a tomato soup.

Yeah, it was terrible. No wonder Wonwoo was so skinny. If Mingyu had to eat stuff like that every day, he would have starved himself too. There was a very distinctive acidic taste that Mingyu had no idea how Wonwoo managed to accomplish. Tomatoes were supposed to be sweet, weren’t they? The texture was messed up too. It didn’t have that thickness that separated a soup from a boiled liquid, and there were solid pieces of the tomatoes that apparently weren’t smashed properly. Mingyu swallowed the spoonful with difficulty.

Wonwoo was looking at him expectantly though. He was leaning over his soup as he was peaking at Mingyu with his eyes raised. Mingyu tried to stop himself from giggling at the ridiculousness of the situation.

“It’s… quite different than everything I have tasted before.” he said diplomatically.

Wonwoo sighed. “I knew it was bad.”

 _No, no, don’t stop smiling,_ Mingyu thought. “It could have been worse.” _It couldn’t._ “Just the fact that you made it makes you a better cook than me.” he said encouragingly.

“Will you eat it all then?” Wonwoo asked hopefully.

Mingyu smiled at him, even though he felt something die in him. “Of course I will.” he said, making a mental note to start bringing food to Wonwoo more often.

The rest of the dinner was silent. Every once in a while, Wonwoo glanced at Mingyu as if he couldn’t believe he was actually there. It would have been a little creepy, but Mingyu knew how he had probably been eating alone for three years now, so he didn’t comment on it.

It was getting progressively more awkward the longer they didn’t speak. Wonwoo didn’t seem to mind the silence at all though, so Mingyu was left alone in his uncomfortableness. The soup didn’t help at all either. It was like the more he ate, the more Wonwoo stole curious glances at him.

Mingyu could vaguely hear the sound of a clock ticking in the distance. That was how silent this whole room had gotten. Mingyu was always able to make small talk with anyone, but for some reason, he was hesitating to start saying nonsense to Wonwoo. They were not friends, and Wonwoo didn’t know any of the stories of the village Mingyu would have usually made conversation about.

Wonwoo just kept looking at him over his spoon, like a little kid who thought that if they hid behind an object, they were invisible. It was like last time, when he had extended his palms for Mingyu to inspect. It looked like Wonwoo had a lot of childish mannerisms like those. It was kind of unexpectedly cute for someone so feared by the public like Wonwoo to act like this.

Mingyu’s soup was almost over, and he couldn’t help himself anymore. He trained his eyes on Wonwoo and waited for the next time he would look up at him. Wonwoo was finishing his soup too. He ate slower than Mingyu, probably savoring the taste of the actually edible food he was eating for once.

They inevitably made eye contact when Wonwoo glanced at him again. Mingyu pursed his lips in an attempt to not laugh out loud at the face Wonwoo made when he realized he was caught. His cheeks went red from the effort to keep it in, but the more he stared at Wonwoo, the funnier the situation became.

Wonwoo blinked, and Mingyu burst out laughing.

“W-why are you looking at me l-like that?” he asked between swallow breaths with tears in his eyes.

“…like what?” Wonwoo tilted his head confused.

It sent Mingyu into another fit of laughter. What situation had he found himself in? Wonwoo’s house was so nice, so warm. Everything in here had character, including Wonwoo himself. Mingyu kept laughing and laughing, long after he stopped feeling amused.

Everything was so much lighter all of a sudden.

“You have a loud laugh.” Wonwoo pointed out, dipping his spoon in to his soup.

“No I don’t.” Mingyu said, a huge smile on his face that he couldn’t really control. “My laugh is completely average and normal.”

“It’s nice.” Wonwoo added quietly.

Mingyu really didn’t expect that. He immediately wished he could have taken his words back. “You like loud laughs?” he asked with wide eyes. “Then my laugh is the loudest of them all, no one can beat me in length or volume!” he declared proudly.

Wonwoo smiled back, and Mingyu felt like he had achieved a major victory. He downed the rest of his tomato soup in one go and pushed his plate towards Wonwoo.

“See? You made me so happy I finished this for you.” he said sweetly.

Wonwoo looked at him like he had grown a second head. It caused Mingyu to pull back on his chair and laugh loudly again, this time with absolutely no limit since he knew Wonwoo liked it like that.

Ah, he was suddenly feeling so happy for some reason. The food had been bad, but everything else around him was perfect. He was probably going crazy from all the nerves he had before coming here. Wow, he had been so anxious before meeting Wonwoo! So much fear couldn’t be good for his body. At least he was happy and calm now to make up for it.

“Will you finish your soup?” he asked the other, leaning forward and placing his head on his hand.

“I think I might save it for later, I’m kind of full…” Wonwoo tried to say, but Mingyu exclaimed horrified.

“No way!” he said, placing a hand over his chest dramatically. “You _have_ to eat it all and become stronger! You’re so thin Wonwoo.” he pouted at this point. “I was worried you know? I know I shouldn’t be, you can probably take care of yourself, but your wrists were so small the last time I saw you, I couldn’t stop thinking about it!” Mingyu whined.

“You were worried?” Wonwoo asked with wide eyes.

“Lots!” Mingyu put emphasis on the single word. “So please eat it all, or I’ll have to feed you myself.” he said and crossed his arms in front of his chest in determination.

Wonwoo was looking at him with his lips parted like he couldn’t believe this was happening. He spent a few seconds simply staring at Mingyu, trying to figure what was going on, why he was acting like this all of a sudden. Mingyu too wanted to know what had gotten into him. All he knew was that he was feeling light and happy, and he had to make sure Wonwoo ate his food.

Wonwoo’s eyes dropped to the empty plate in front of Mingyu, and then right back at his eyes. He abruptly closed his mouth and continued eating.

“After I eat, do you want to sit on the couch for a little while?” he asked between mouthfuls.

“Sure!” Mingyu said, delighted at the prospect of rolling around in all those pillows. “But make sure to finish your plate, yeah?” he asked seriously.

“Deal.” Wonwoo smiled slightly, and Mingyu felt his insides flaring up with pride.

Wonwoo ate a lot quicker after that. Mingyu leaned forward on the table again, supporting his head with both his palms and looking around the house dreamily. From the tiny kitchen, to the dozens of pillows and the lit fireplace, it had everything Mingyu’s home was lacking.

“Your house actually looks lived in.” Mingyu said absent-mindedly.

“I live here, you know.” Wonwoo said seriously and Mingyu giggled.

“I know that.” he said and Wonwoo nodded in confirmation, as if he was just testing him. “I meant that it looks cozy and comfortable like you have put actual work into making it like this.” Mingyu explained.

“I have.” Wonwoo nodded again. “It wasn’t like this in the beginning.”

“Ugh, I was so terrible to you in the beginning.” Mingyu groaned and let his head drop to the table. “I hate myself so much for it.” he confessed.

Wonwoo didn’t reply to that. He quietly finished his food ( _and the bread_ , Mingyu noticed happily) and picked up the plates. Mingyu watched him as he placed them on that white bowl on the wall, the one below the strange pipe that was spiraling down from the ceiling.

What even was that thing? Why would Wonwoo place his dirty plates there instead of getting water from… wherever he was getting water and wash them? He was just about to ask when Wonwoo fumbled with a lever at the bottom of the tube and suddenly, water appeared from inside it.

Mingyu gasped and jumped up. “What is that?” he asked in shock.

“It’s water.” Wonwoo replied casually.

“Where did it come from? Why is it here?” Mingyu ran next to the other to inspect the strange pipe.

Now that he was looking at the bowl closer, there was another pipe beneath it that pierced the wall and led outside. Mingyu leaned down to watch it closer and he was fascinated to hear the water that was dripping from the ceiling pipe was exiting from that smaller one.

“Well… It can get too cold outside to wash the dishes every time I eat. This way, the water comes inside the house.” Wonwoo explained.

“But… how?” Mingyu stood up again and followed the long pipe that seemed to disappear to the ceiling. “How?” he repeated.

“I have a bowl like this, but ten times bigger on the roof.” Wonwoo said, tapping at the white bowl on the wall. “When it rains, it gathers the water and when I pull this lever, it allows it to travel down and into my sink.”

Mingyu looked at the little white bowl in amazement. If there was another bowl outside that already had water from the last time it rained… he could see how this could work. “And how does it stop?” he asked.

“I push the lever back.” Wonwoo did as he said and true to his words, the water stopped flowing.

Mingyu put his head inside the bowl to look at the small pipe’s opening. There was a thin metal covering the opening. Was there really water behind this thing? Mingyu pulled the lever slowly, pushing the metal cover lid to the side bit by bit until a splash of water hit his face. Mingyu didn’t expect the force with which the water hit him. He closed his eyes and exclaimed in pain.

“Careful.” Wonwoo said and pushed the lever back. “Since there is a lot of water from above that wants to get down and only a small opening, it will come out fast.”

Mingyu rubbed his face to spread the water. He took a few more moments to admire the structure of the whole thing, and then he opened and closed the lid several times to test it out from a safe distance. This was amazing. From everything strange and weird thing Wonwoo had in here, this was probably the most useful.

“You are a genius.” Mingyu said, still mesmerized at the prospect of having water just come to him at his will. “Is it drinkable?” he asked, ready to put his head below the pipe again and take a sip.

“Not yet.” Wonwoo’s words stopped him. “But I’m working on it. It is not a finished project. It was quite a feat to stop the pipes from rusting, leaking or simply breaking with the amount of water they carry all the time. Also I had to make sure no leaves or sticks fell to the bowl on the roof and destroyed the whole thing. I have a net over the bowl, but even that doesn’t stop the bugs from drowning in the water. At least they float so they don’t actually come through the pipes to block them, but I still have to clean them up every now and then which is bothersome. And the whole thing needs maintenance quite often, which is also bothersome, so I was searching for new material to use anyway, and maybe I could find something that could separate the dirt from the clear-“

Wonwoo stopped the speech when he saw that Mingyu was looking at him with starry eyes and a goofy smile, clearly not having understood a thing. But the passion behind the strange words was clear. Mingyu hadn’t even thought Wonwoo was capable of speaking that much in one go.

“Yeah, uhm…” Wonwoo coughed to clear his throat. “It’s a work in progress.” he said and looked away.

And there it was again, he was avoiding Mingyu’s eyes as he waited for an important reaction that could potentially hurt him if it was negative. But this time, even if Mingyu wasn’t feeling as light as cloud for some reason, there was no way he could have found anything negative to say. This was the most impressive thing he had seen in the whole 20 years he was alive.

“Wonwoo, you are a genius.” he said, deeply amazed. “Running water? That’s why people believe you are a witch.” he added, finally understanding why everyone was so afraid of him.

Wonwoo wasn’t just a weird misfit, he had never been. He made useful things that no one had seen before and that gave him amazing power. Wasn’t that orange ointment the same? How quicker Mingyu’s scratches as a kid would have healed if he had used that ointment Wonwoo had made?

“I’m not a witch.” Wonwoo clarified once again. “What I make isn’t magic. It’s things that everyone could make and benefit from.”

 _He just wanted to help people._ The realization hit Mingyu like thunder. Wonwoo had been so weird ever since he stepped foot at their village. He was always speaking about crazy, unimaginable things, he had tried to vandalize houses, that’s what Mingyu’s father always said. But no, he wasn’t just some lunatic that was trying to disturb the peaceful life of the village. He probably had all those ideas about how he could make improvements to their settlement, he had probably been excited to share them with the people he had been born amongst.

But they had all just went and called him a madman, a witch. They had thrown him out and treated him like garbage because he was different. And Mingyu had spent 3 years of his life being one of those selfish, ignorant people who did that. He felt tears gathering to his eyes just at the thought.

“Well, it doesn’t matter what they think of me I guess. As long as the village surviving happily, they don’t need those things.” Wonwoo said with a sigh, making Mingyu feel ten times worse.

“No.” he said, still looking around the house, at everything Wonwoo had that seemed scary and foreign, but in reality was probably something that could be used to make life easier. “No.” he repeated finally looking at the mind behind everything. Wonwoo looked as calm and passive as ever, but Mingyu had seen it. There had been a spark in his eyes as he explained what he did. This was probably the first time he had managed to explain himself to someone who didn’t judge him immediately.

Mingyu was overwhelmed. He had been feeling excessively emotional for a while now, but this was just too much. He was so amazed at the discovery he had made about Wonwoo, he was simply awed. And as fast as this admiration made his heart flare up in excitement, the guilt came to crush it down. But he couldn’t just leave things like that, not now that he knew the truth about what Wonwoo was doing, about how misjudged he had been.

“Even if you don’t care anymore about what people have to say, please never doubt that you’re amazing.” Mingyu said, fighting hard to not let tears spill. “All this… Wonwoo I only just now saw it, I only just saw _you_. I feel like a lifetime of apologies won’t be enough to be forgiven, but I’ll still try. I’m sorry.”

Wonwoo’s expression didn’t change after Mingyu’s words. He had years to practice apathy towards the words of people, no matter if they were positive or negative. Mingyu had no idea if what he said got to him at all. He simply looked at him for a second longer before he smiled faintly, like always.

“It’s okay, I’m not holding any grudges. You’re the first one who ever tried to look at me anyway.”

A tear or two slipped from Mingyu’s face but he wiped them quickly. Ah, he was so emotional. He didn’t know what was the trigger for this, but at this moment, it felt like Wonwoo was the most precious, most special person Mingyu ever had the luck to meet.

“Shall we go sit at the couch?” Wonwoo said invitingly, taking a step towards the pile of pillows.

Mingyu ran towards him, as if he had no other choice. The pull was too strong.

~~~

Mingyu has been playing with the pillows for hours now. They were all so soft and comfortable, and the warmth from the fireplace made him want to stay in that place for eternity. He talked with Wonwoo as he fumbled with the pillows and rolled around in the blankets, but he wasn’t paying attention at what he was saying. His mind felt like it was floating above his head throughout the entire conversation.

He was pretty sure that Wonwoo was regularly asking him how he felt, if he was too hot, or if he was thirsty or dizzy, but Mingyu was feeling just perfect. His own house had never felt so cozy as this odd one in the middle of the mountain. It was almost disheartening, but at the same time he was glad that at least Wonwoo had a nice home to spend his time in.

Above the fireplace, there was a small knitted cloth, like the one his mother had made of the Last Supper. When Mingyu spotted it, he abruptly dropped all the pillows he has hugging and rushed to inspect it closer.

“What is that?” he asked Wonwoo, his face almost touching the cloth.

“It’s… a cat.” Wonwoo said. His voice sounded a little tense, like he had briefly been alarmed with the way Mingyu jumped to his feet.

“A cat?” Mingyu asked. He could see it. There was a brown blob of colour in the middle, with some darker lines stretching into a shape. It had white whiskers and a pink nose. The fur was a little blurry and probably not shaded in the right was, but it was definitely a cat. The background was in different shades of green, and Mingyu could make out a few small trees. The cat was laying down in the middle of a forest bed.

“Did you make this?” Mingyu asked, leaning back to look at the picture better.

“Yes I did, a long time ago.” Wonwoo replied. “Why don’t you come back here so I can tell you about it?” he said carefully, his voice inviting.

Mingyu quickly dived back to the pillows, right below Wonwoo’s feet that were curled at the couch. He sat with his chin perched on his folded knees and looked up at Wonwoo expectantly.

Wonwoo relaxed back on the couch again too. “So, this was my favourite cat back at the monastery.” he said. “We had so many of them, everyone loved them. Nobody dared touch them in the beginning, but we slowly became friends with them and now we live like a family. _They_ live like a family.” he quickly corrected himself. “I’m just here.”

“So you knitted a cloth with the picture of a cat just because it was your favourite cat?” Mingyu asked with wide eyes.

Wonwoo nodded.

“My mother knitted the Last Supper.” Mingyu said, his voice full of disappointment.

How much he hated that pretentious piece of cloth that was hung above their dinning table. His mother had put so much work into making it piece by piece, that Mingyu felt bad whenever he looked at it, because he wanted to throw it away. But here Wonwoo was, putting the same amount of effort his mother had put to create a famous and respected picture of their religion, simply to depict his favourite cat sleeping in the forest.

Mingyu laughed at the contradiction. How he wished his mother had knitted a cat too, instead of that imposing and cold Last Supper.

“So what was your cat’s name?” Mingyu asked, traces of laughter still in his voice. He was beyond questioning the things Wonwoo did at this point. They just made him feel more fond of him and his weirdness.

“Raphael.” Wonwoo answered. And okay, Mingyu _had_ to question that.

“Like the Archangel?” he asked surprised.

“He was one mighty cat.” Wonwoo smiled fondly at the memory. “They all had names of angels.”

“That’s adorable.” Mingyu giggled and fell on his back clutching to as many pillows as he could. “The little angels of the monastery. It is so fitting.”

“Are you feeling okay Mingyu?” Wonwoo asked when he saw him falling over.

“Yeah, I feel so warm.” Mingyu sighed dreamily.

“Not dizzy?”

“No.”

It was so late. Mingyu hadn’t initially thought he would spend so much time at Wonwoo’s house. The plan was to give him the soup and leave. He could have told his mother that Minghao was tired or something, they had planned to speak at another time. Mingyu should have been at his bed at home by now.

But instead, here he was, learning about Raphael the Cat, and getting snippets out of Wonwoo’s previous life at the monastery. Someone must have taught him to knit at some point. Another skill that very few men had. Mingyu was lacking so much compared to him. There were so many useful skills to learn in this world, skills that he had never been interested before because he never bothered to look for them.

“I can’t go home now.” he realized after taking a glance outside the window. It was too late.

“You can stay here.” Wonwoo offered.

That should have made Mingyu feel at least a little alarmed. It was one thing to spend time with Wonwoo awake and alert, and a completely other thing to sleep with him, unconscious and vulnerable. But it wasn’t anything like that. It was like a switch had snapped inside him that kicked away all the worries and anxieties he had before dinner. If anything, Mingyu felt more full and secure than he had in a long time. It was like before Minghao left again, when his house was fuller and they used to have sleepovers all the time. He had missed that a lot.

It was a lost battle trying to convince himself that he didn’t want to stay in Wonwoo’s house for the night. He was already starting to doze off, head as light as newly blooming flower. His limbs were deliciously heavy and the pillows made such a nice area for him to sleep.

“Maybe I will stay.” Mingyu muttered.

“Can you walk to the bed?” Wonwoo asked, leaning forward to have a better look at him.

“Bed?” Mingyu asked confused.

“I won’t let you sleep on the floor.” Wonwoo told him.

“But it’s so comfortable.” Mingyu whined.

“The bed is even more comfortable.” Wonwoo said and poked him with his foot. “Come on, you’ll be thanking me for this in the morning.” he replied to Mingyu’s whining.

Mingyu pouted hard, but he slowly got up. “ I need to pee.” he said.

“Can you go outside? It’s too late to show you the bathroom now.” Wonwoo pursed his lips.

“Will you show me tomorrow?” Mingyu asked hopefully.

“If you still want it, sure.” Wonwoo replied, not bothering to hide his smile anymore.

“Okay then. I’ll be right back.” Mingyu said and went outside to relieve himself.

The fresh air helped to clear his foggy brain a little bit. Even though the warm feeling remained, Mingyu wondered once again what the hell he was doing. He wasn’t scared, and he didn’t care about the consequences this night might have had. He was feeling abnormally light and he didn’t want this feeling to go away.

Once he returned inside, Wonwoo was waiting him with another bottle of liquid, this time light pink in colour.

“What is this?” Mingyu asked, ever so curiously.

“Give me your hands.” Wonwoo simply said, and Mingyu dutifully complied.

Wonwoo poured a few drops of the liquid on his extended hands. It was cold to touch, and it smelled strongly of alcohol and… peonies? Mingyu didn’t get a lot of time to analyze it before Wonwoo was rubbing his palms with a towel, spreading the liquid everywhere.

“It’s just to clean your hands.” he told Mingyu. “It’s stronger than soap. ”

“Oh, okay.” Mingyu nodded. “Wasn’t alcohol bad for the skin though?” he tilted his head.

Wonwoo’s nose scrunched with his smile this time. “Someone’s being paying attention.” he said. “Don’t worry, it’s diluted.”

_Whatever this means,_ Mingyu thought, but nodded in acceptance anyway. Mingyu patiently sat on the couch as Wonwoo put the bottle and the towel away. He yawned tiredly while he watched him move. Yeah, it definitely was time to sleep. His eyes were steadier than before, but he still needed to rest his body. It had been a long, peculiar day.

Wonwoo’s face had gone back to the calm apathy as he motioned at Mingyu to follow him to the other room. Mingyu rushed behind him, mildly excited that he was going to see that large window again. The sight of the bedroom didn’t disappoint him. Wonwoo didn’t keep any lanterns in there. The only source of illumination was the moonlight that was bathing the room from the window wall.

Mingyu exclaimed in surprise at the sight. He could see the entire night sky from that window. He eagerly climbed on the double bed and peaked outside. The tall trees on the distance looked small from that position. They were dark and insignificant compared to the symphony of the myriads of the stars and the moon on they sky. It was like Mingyu stepped into a whole new world when he glanced out of that window.

“Wonwoo, it’s so beautiful!” he called.

“It is.” Wonwoo agreed, climbing on the huge bed behind him. “I’m… glad you’re here to see it.” he admitted quietly.

Mingyu averted his eyes from the window to look at Wonwoo. Sure enough, his eyes were casted away. Mingyu didn’t know what to do to make things easier for him.

“Am I the first one to see this?” he asked quietly.

Wonwoo nodded. “Lie down.” he said, and threw a huge fluffy blanket over Mingyu. He wiggled around happily beneath it, finding out that Wonwoo had told him the truth before. It really was more comfortable in his bed, even without all those pillows. He settled with his stomach on the mattress, gazing at Wonwoo as he too got underneath the covers.

Wonwoo didn’t move around for long. He stayed on his back, with his legs naturally stretched in front of him.

“Don’t turn your back at the sky.” he said gently and Mingyu blinked once before he realized he was talking to him.

He quickly turned around again, making a mess out the blanket, but it was worth it. The view from the window beneath his feet was magical. He felt that he was above an entire world, the stars that he usually had to crane his neck to see, beneath his feet. And there were so many of them. There was no a single cloud in the sky, leaving it to shine down on them in all its glory. Mingyu was speechless.

“I had no one to show this to until today.” Wonwoo whispered.

His words sounded a little strained, as if it took a lot out of him to say something like that. As beautiful as the sky was, Mingyu’s eyes couldn’t help but fall on Wonwoo’s face again. They were laying side be side on the same bed, with the same sky beneath their feet. This moment must have felt as surreal to Wonwoo as it did to Mingyu.

“Did you have any friends back at the monastery?” Mingyu found that he was whispering too for some reason.

Wonwoo pursed his lips. “I have no doubt people cared about me there. But…” the words were hard on him.

Mingyu waited. There was more to this, and he wanted to hear how Wonwoo would word it.

“I… I never connected well to people.” Wonwoo explained quietly. He bit his lips in thought, probably wondering if he should continue speaking or not. He was starring out of the window the entire time, eyes more intense than they had been all night.

They stayed like that for a while, until Mingyu felt his eyes drooping. Wonwoo was taking too long to talk. The peaceful sounds of the forest outside, the fire still burning in the other room and the soft kisses of the moonlight were slowly lulling Mingyu into sleep. He fought to stay awake to hear what Wonwoo had to say.

Until finally, what felt like eons later, Wonwoo found the courage to speak up. “I was never well-grounded.” he whispered.

Mingyu didn’t immediately understand what he meant. His half-asleep mind imagined a younger Wonwoo, loosing the earth beneath his feet and flying upwards, towards the sun, only to stop midway there and return to the ground. He imagined him trying to walk on earth amongst everyone else, but failing to take a step without leaping to the air, always going upwards and upwards, but inevitably falling back on the soil where he belonged.

In a weird way, it made sense. It would explain a lot about Wonwoo’s life. He didn’t know if Wonwoo wanted to fly or to walk, but he had a feeling that Wonwoo had focused so much on trying to walk when it was unnatural for him, that now his feet were full of callouses. He must have been hurting for a while now.

Mingyu slowly slid his hand to Wonwoo’s, any hesitation or inhibition gone.

“It’s okay to not be well-grounded. Maybe the earth is nicer from above.” he whispered, looking softly at the side of his face.

Wonwoo took in a sharp breath and Mingyu felt his grip tightening on his hand. Wonwoo stayed like that for a while, eyes piercing the night sky with their intensity. It was hard to be sure in the semi-darkness, but Mingyu’s sleepy eyes could have sworn that a single tear escaped the corner of his eyes. Mingyu was starting to lose consciousness when Wonwoo finally spoke up again.

“I’m sorry…” he simply whispered, but Mingyu wasn’t able to register anything else as sleep finally pulled him in its warm embrace.

~~~

_I fell asleep side by side with Wonwoo, with the earth below my back and facing towards the sky, gazing at a world that wasn’t mine._

_And even though my eyes were seemingly closed, they were only now starting to truly open._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mingyu was a little ooc towards the end, wasn't he? ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)  
> Trust me there is a reason for that. If you have any idea what is going on don't hesitate to leave a comment. Feedback is always appreciated!


	5. Pourquoi je pleure?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Helloooo I'm back. I think this is the last chapter before the mess starts lol enjoy it as long as it lasts. 
> 
> Also, if you find mistakes in my writing don't hesitate to point them out. English ain't my first language and I've read over these chapters so many times trying to correct everything that I think my eyes are going to fall out.
> 
> On to the chapter then, let's go!

As miraculously magical the night sky had been while Mingyu fell asleep, he should have known that without anything to block it, the morning sun would be harsh on his eyes. He blinked his eyes open to find himself on his side, facing towards Wonwoo’s side of the bed.

The other was still asleep on his back. His head had lulled to the side, but it was as if he hadn’t moved a bit from his place. His face was calm, like always, with no lines to mar his sharp features. He didn’t look any different asleep than when he was awake, that’s how genuine he had been in his expressions. If Mingyu excluded his puffed lips, it was almost like looking at a statue.

There were pretty specks of dust dancing above his head, making a faint line towards the window where the rays of the sun hit them. The whole room looked different in the morning. It didn’t look magical anymore, it was just a room with a huge comfortable bed, that Mingyu had slept like a baby on.

He had felt so light the previous day… He had been full of emotions throughout the entire night, he was excited even at the tiniest of details. Now that he thought back on it, some of his things he said were outright mortifying. Just what had gotten into him?

He didn’t regret coming here, that was for certain. He would never want to forget the things he had found out about the person everyone called a weird witch boy. As the only person who even got a glimpse of his true colours, he felt it was his duty to carefully keep it in his memory.

But… The things he had said and done… Had he seriously threatened to feed Wonwoo if he didn’t finish his food? Did he really spend _hours_ simply hugging soft pillows and talking about cats? What was he _thinking?_

He groaned out loud and buried his head in his hands at the embarrassment. He was so stupid. Maybe he had managed to shake his fear of Wonwoo away, but he didn’t have to make a mess out of himself at the same time.

Wonwoo stirred when he heard Mingyu groan. His eyes fluttered open before Mingyu could even think about leaving before the other woke up. That might have been his last chance to pretend like nothing of the previous night had ever happened. It was too late to do anything now.

“Are you feeling okay?” was the first thing out of Wonwoo’s mouth when he saw Mingyu.

His voice was even deeper than normal in the morning. His hair was squished by the pillow under him and his eyes were barely holding themselves open, but he was still asking Mingyu how he felt.

It was then that Mingyu knew, that even if he had the choice to leave before the other woke up without saying goodbye, he wouldn’t have done it.

“I’m okay.” he answered, his own voice raspy as well. “Good morning.” he smiled a bit.

Wonwoo blinked a few times, as if he too was trying to make sure that everything had happened. “G-good morning…” he murmured in the end, averting his eyes.

But he wasn’t waiting for an important reaction now, so Mingyu had no idea why he felt the need to look away. There were so many more things to learn about Wonwoo. Mingyu barely even scratched the surface last night.

“Last night…” he thought about everything again and groaned.

“What’s wrong?” Wonwoo asked with a frown.

Mingyu didn’t know how to explain what had been wrong with him, because he didn’t know either. How could he say that he felt warm and safe and happy without making it sound like a good thing? He just groaned again and sat up, the blanket pooling at his lap.

“Look… I really don’t how to say this but…” he started fumbling with that blanket. “I was not… really… myself?” he tried to explain.

“You were not yourself?” Wonwoo asked confused.

“I mean… I said some things…” Mingyu murmured, still mortified. “Some things I really shouldn’t have.”

There was a flash of an emotion on Wonwoo’s face, before it turned apathetic again.

“So you didn’t mean anything you said…” he said, without being able to keep all of the sadness out of his voice.

“No!” Mingyu jumped up when he realized where this was going. “No, no, no, I meant everything about what a genius you are, a-and the apology and how cool your cat was!” he explained messily. “A-and about how I wanted you to eat…” he added, feeling his face starting to redden from embarrassment.

Wonwoo kept looking at him like he had no idea what he was saying. Mingyu took a deep breath and decided to let his pride take a blow if it meant he could get his point across.

“I just wasn’t acting as… manly as I should be.” he said, looking at the ceiling.

“Manly?” Wonwoo’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“You know… trying to feed you the soup… a-and spraying myself with your water… God, why did I do that?” Mingyu groaned and buried his face in his hands again.

“Oh...” Wonwoo said, realization finally dawning upon him. “Oh.” he repeated, this time with a small smile on his lips.

“Yeah… that. I’m sorry, I really don’t know what got into me. I promise I’m a lot more mature usually.” Mingyu murmured, not daring a look towards the other’s face.

Wonwoo giggled. He went from putting on his apathetic self-defense into openly laughing at the embarrassment Mingyu was feeling. Mingyu quickly lowered his hands to look at him, and sure enough, Wonwoo’s lips were stretched into the widest smile Mingyu had seen from him yet.

“Don’t look so happy when I’m miserable.” Mingyu whined, but it only got another laugh in return.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” Wonwoo said at Mingyu’s grumpy face. “I didn’t think… You don’t regret anything else?” he asked hopefully.

Mingyu sobered up quickly at that. He had been really reckless last night. If Minghao knew what he did… If his father ever found out… There would be heavy consequences if anyone ever found out that he had not only willingly went to Wonwoo’s house, but he also spent the night there. He would never be able to explain what he had found out about Wonwoo, not to his family and definitely not to his friends. So in reality, there was nothing positive to gain from this adventure of his.

Except there was. There were so many positive things he saw by simply spending one night away from the village. He had given Wonwoo food, like his conscience had asked him to, he had spoken to him, he had gotten from being scared and somewhat weirded out by him to being curious about what else he could discover about him. Every little side of Wonwoo’s true self he had managed to see had left him almost aching for more. There was no way he had any regrets about that.

“I’m actually really glad I came here yesterday.” he said in the end. “No matter what. It was the right choice.”

“You’re brave.” Wonwoo said out of the blue, and Mingyu started feeling embarrassed again.

“No, not at all-“

“From where I stand, you did something very brave, just for me. Thank you.” Wonwoo said sincerely.

Mingyu didn’t have anything to reply to that. It was exactly that confirmation he needed to hear to be certain that he had made the right choice.

“It’s still early.” Wonwoo continued speaking, like he hadn’t made Mingyu’s heart beat faster in pride about himself.

Wonwoo sat up and leaned closer to the window to take a look at the back yard outside. “Do you want to feed the animals with me?” he asked Mingyu.

Mingyu’s eyes snapped to him again, obviously interested. _You’re pushing your luck, young man,_ a voice inside him said. A part of him knew that it was time to go home. He had his fun, he broke out of his comfort zone. It was time to return to the real world.

“Is the deer I hurt still here?” he found himself asking instead.

“Yes he is. Poor thing got an infection, despite having all that alcohol poured on his wound.” Wonwoo said sadly. “He is doing better now, but he’ll be here for a while.”

Wonwoo hadn’t heard him express such clear sadness over anything before. He was always calm, or smiling faintly at whatever Mingyu told him, the mask of apathy ready to be used anytime. It was obvious Wonwoo felt for the animals way more than he felt for the humans.

Mingyu wanted to see how he would interact with them.

“I’ll help you feed them then.” he said, throwing the blanket off him determinedly.

“Great.” Wonwoo jumped of the bed. Even the happiness in his voice was clearer than before. “I uhh don’t have breakfast or anything.” he said sheepishly as he put on his slippers. “I hope you don’t mind.”

“ _I_ don’t mind.” Mingyu assured him. “But it is equally important to feed the animals as it is to feed yourself.” he pointed out.

Wonwoo scrunched his nose at him, clearly disagreeing. “Let’s just feed _them_ for now.” he said and walked out of the room.

Mingyu glanced out of the window one last time before he followed him to the living room. Wonwoo was in the process of wearing a pair of shoes from the tree hanger. He wore them while standing up and not holding at anything too. He had quite the balance, Mingyu noticed.

He grabbed his own pair and sat at the couch to put it on. Wonwoo went to the kitchen and opened the same drawer from the last time and pulled out the same slices of dried meat.

“Have you ever thought about eating one of those slices too?” Mingyu couldn’t help but ask.

“I don’t really like dried meat.” Wonwoo shrugged.

After that, he opened one of the doors Mingyu’s hadn’t been through before. He quickly rushed to Wonwoo’s side to see where it led.

The room that the door led them to was painted blue. Not just any subtle blue-gray, soft blue either, it was painted in the vibrant colour of the sea. The surprises this house hid apparently didn’t stop at the living room.

“So, I promised to show you the bathroom.” Wonwoo said, leaning back on the wall.

Bathroom? Mingyu didn’t think his house had such a room. The only room that was remotely similar was the store room next to his parents’ room, where his mothers kept all the brooms, dirty clothes, water buckets and stuff like that. That bathroom here had two more of these objects with the pipes, and a big chest of drawers. Atop the drawers, there were some buckets of water and a broom. There was also a mirror on the opposite wall, kind of dirty and foggy.

The first bowl-like thing that was placed to the wall was a bit more cylindrical that the sink in the living room. Its edges were blunt and thick, and the pipe that was connected to it that led outside was much thicker too. Mingyu extended his hand to feel the surface

“You might not want to touch that.” Wonwoo said from his corner.

“Why? What does it do?” Mingyu asked.

“Well… to put it blandly…” Wonwoo cleared his throat. “This is were the turd and the urine go.”

Mingyu pulled his hand back like he was burned. “What? Here?”

“Yeah. There is a barrel outside to collect them. Everytime it gets full I throw it along the exhausts of the rest of the village.” Wonwoo explained. “And this,” he pointed to the other object, “is a bathtub that drains on its own.”

That was pretty self-explanatory. There was a cup that covered the pipe that led outside, that Mingyu assumed could be removed so the water would drain. The bathtub looked like the one behind Mingyu’s house. He thought back to every winter when he’d have to bathe outside in the cold. He could really have used a bathtub inside his house like that. He would have gotten a lot less sick than he had as a child. Wonwoo had built his house to get outside in the cold as little as possible.

“And you made all these yourself?” Mingyu asked impressed.

“Yes. I really hate water. The more I control it the better.” Wonwoo said.

“You hate-?” Mingyu raised his eyebrows. “You know what, no, I’m not surprised with anything that comes out of your mouth at this point.”

“Good.” Wonwoo smiled. “If you open the first drawer, I have the seeds for the squirrels in there.”

Mingyu did as told, feeling like a kid snooping around at a part of a house he wasn’t allowed to. The seeds were right in front of him, obviously the only thing from that drawer that was frequently used. He pulled he small bag and showed it to Wonwoo for confirmation. Wonwoo nodded and together they left the bathroom.

They walked through Wonwoo’s bedroom again to go to the backyard. Even though Mingyu knew what to expect, he found that he wasn’t ready at all for three grown wild cats to rush towards them, meowing loudly.

“Woah.” Mingyu took a discreet step behind Wonwoo. “These don’t look sick at all.”

Wonwoo crouched down and started petting them casually, like they couldn’t claw his eyes out any time they wished. “Well, this one was poisoned a week ago.” he ran his fingers through the fur of a gray cat with a thick tail. “But I think the other two liked it here so much that they wouldn’t leave, even after they were healthy.”

“You don’t sound bothered by it.” Mingyu noticed.

Wonwoo smiled guiltily to the ground. “Perhaps I tried my best to make them stay.” he admitted. “This one is Barachiel, this one is Eremiel, and the poisoned one is Anpiel.” he introduced the cats.

“Anpiel? The angel who protects birds?” Mingyu snorted.

“That one.” Wonwoo nodded.

Of course Wonwoo would name his poisoned cat after the angel who protected birds. Of course.

Wonwoo stood up again and put the meat to a bowl, and the three cats stopped paying attention at them to eat.

“Come on. You can reach higher, can you fill that pot over there with the seeds?” Wonwoo pointed at the branch of a tree, where a little pot was hanging empty.

Mingyu didn’t have to stretch a lot to reach the branch. He started filling the pot slowly, and to his delight, five little squirrels appeared between the leaves. Mingyu exclaimed in surprise when they started getting closer to pick at the seeds even between his fingers.

“Are they not afraid?” he whispered at Wonwoo’s general direction in fear of scaring them away.

“I don’t know. Maybe they got used to me feeding them every day.” Wonwoo said from the distance.

He had walked to a metal cabinet that was against the outer wall of the bedroom. He was pulling out a roll of green leafy vegetables, along with another bag of seeds. Mingyu carefully pulled his hand way from the squirrels and went to join him.

“These are for the eagle and the owl,” he explained as Mingyu got closer, “and this is for Bartholomew.” he extended the roll of leaves for Mingyu to take.

“Whomst?” Mingyu’s eyes bulged.

“Your deer. He’s been for so long here, he needed a name.” Wonwoo explained patiently.

“And you named him Bartlo… Barthom… Barlth- I can’t even say it!” he said.

“Bartholomew.” Wonwoo pronounced the name easily. “You can call him Mew for short.”

Mingyu blinked at him. “So you thought that Anpiel was a proper name for a cat and Mew was just the perfect name for a deer?”

“Are you perhaps surprised?” Wonwoo raised an eyebrow amused.

Mingyu snickered. No, he really shouldn’t be surprised. “Just give me the vegetables.” he said.

“Here.” Wonwoo tossed him the roll. “He usually is behind that tree.”

So Mingyu went to see the deer that had been the beginning of all this. He didn’t know how to feel about feeding the same animal he had once tried to kill. Wonwoo had called Mew _his_ deer, which meant that Mingyu had some kind of responsibility for it. He tried to make his steps softer as he approached the tree. He didn’t want to scare the animal away, not again.

As Wonwoo had said, the deer was curled up at the roots of the tree. It had gotten bigger since the last time Mingyu had seen it. It had probably been too young when they had first met on that lake, but now it was growing up steadily. It didn’t startle when it saw Mingyu, but it got a bit more defensive.

“Hi Mew.” Mingyu softly crouched down next to him. “It’s me, the douche who did this to you.” he said and placed the roll of plants on the ground in front of the deer’s body.

Mew stayed still for a while looking at Mingyu, but he must have been hungry because he started sniffing towards the food and hesitantly turned to eat.

“I’m sorry.” Mingyu said. “I didn’t want to hurt you.”

The deer just kept eating, unbothered by the apology. Mingyu’s eyes trailed at the red mark on its rear foot. It looked bad, but it was only natural if Wonwoo said it had gotten infected. At least Mew was in good hands. If there was anyone on this planet that would take good care of him, that was Wonwoo.

“You’re one lucky deer, aren’t you Mew?” Mingyu began making conversation with the deer. If anyone asked, then yes, he was finally going crazy. “If I hadn’t missed my shot that day then neither of us would be here right now.”

Mingyu heard the croaking of the eagle nearby, and he thought about the new arrows Wonwoo had gotten him. They were of a much higher quality than his previous ones. If he and Mew were in the same spots on the lake now, like they had been back then, Mingyu wouldn’t have missed this time.

“Very lucky deer.” Mingyu repeated to the munching animal. “If I bring you my own food someday, would you mind sharing that luck?” he asked.

“How much food do you intend to carry in this house?” Wonwoo appeared behind him.

“As much as is needed.” Mingyu replied instantly.

Wonwoo kneeled next to him and patted Mew’s head. “He doesn’t need anymore food, he is already getting fat.” he said.

“He definitely is bigger than the last time I saw him.” Mingyu agreed.

“Even through everything that has happened to him, he never lost his appetite, not even for a day.” Wonwoo said with fond exasperation.

“That’s my deer.” Mingyu said proudly. “He definitely didn’t take that from you.” he jibed at Wonwoo.

Wonwoo snickered. He didn’t even bother to deny it.

“Try to pet him.” he urged Mingyu at some point.

“Are you sure?”

“He is very used to it, I cuddle him all the time.” Wonwoo said. Mingyu looked at him with raised eyebrows at the new information. Wonwoo had the decency to look at least a little embarrassed. “I mean…” he tried to explain himself.

“It’s okay.” Mingyu smiled to the ground. “He deserves some cuddles after everything he’s been through.” _And you probably do too._

Mingyu slowly brought his hand next to Wonwoo’s on Mew’s head. The deer shifted a little, uncertain of the new touch, but Wonwoo quickly calmed it down. Mingyu rubbed its head with his fingers and he felt a bit giddy at how it just stood there, not running away from him.

He had never touched a deer before with an intention other than killing it. Its fur was short and hard to the touch, but it was light and smooth. He tried to widen his movements and caress its back too, and it didn’t seem to mind one bit. It just kept eating its food.

“You’re good with animals.” Wonwoo said as he watched him.

“Sure, when I’m not killing them.” Mingyu said bitterly. He always closed his eyes when he made killing shots, and his father always scolded him for it. Now that he experienced first hand exactly what he was trying so hard to kill, he felt like he might never be able to open them.

Every moment he was spending with Wonwoo was waking up different parts in him that he didn’t even know they were there. When he came to his house last night, he had no idea that he would become best friends with a deer that was named Batrl… Balor… Mew. But here was, next to Wonwoo and playing with the wild animal like it was a pet.

The moment was very peaceful, until a loud, angry voice broke the silence.

“Mingyu! Are you there?!”

Both Wonwoo and Mingyu jumped in surprise. Who-

“Kim Mingyu!” the voice yelled again.

Mingyu looked at Wonwoo with wide eyes. “It’s… It’s Minghao…” he whispered.

Wonwoo didn’t look surprised. His face closed off, the eerie calmness taking charge of his features. “Let’s go to the front.” he said and stood up at once. “Quickly.”

Mingyu hurried after him. They locked the door of the backyard, they went through Wonwoo’s bedroom, all the while hearing Minghao’s voice getting louder, closer.

Mingyu grabbed his coat and was ready to say goodbye to Wonwoo when a crack echoed around and Minghao’s yells abruptly cut off.

“The trap.” Wonwoo explained at Mingyu’s panicked face. “Don’t worry, it’s safe, remember?”

“Mingyu!” Minghao called again, his voice even angrier than before.

Mingyu was frozen. He didn’t want to be found out like that. But at the same time, there was no way he could lie his way around this, not when Minghao had caught him red handed.

It was Wonwoo who moved first. He grabbed the knife from the kitchen and opened the front door to face Minghao. Mingyu had to run behind him.

Minghao was laying to the ground, trying to kick his legs free, but Mingyu knew it was impossible.

“Careful.” Wonwoo called. “You may cut yourself like this.”

Mingyu knew that if he had been at Minghao’s position, without knowing anything about Wonwoo other than the evil witch rumors, he would have been absolutely terrified to see him approaching with a knife while he was tied to the ground.

“Back off!” Minghao called. “Mingyu, what the hell is this?” he yelled when his eyes finally landed on him.

“I-I can explain.” Mingyu tried to speak, but Minghao was beyond furious.

“Explain what you moron? Do you know how worried your mother was when I told her you didn’t come to visit me yesterday? Did you really have the audacity to lie to her and come _here?_ ” he said the last word like it was a vile curse.

Wonwoo crouched down in front of him to set him free, but Minghao quickly pulled away.

“Don’t you dare touch me!” he barked. “Release me, now!”

“I’m trying…” Wonwoo said quietly.

“Minghao, did you tell mother I was here?” Mingyu asked desperately.

“Wha- Of course not! How could I tell her that her son has gone mad and he was hanging around with the most dangerous person in the village?” Minghao yelled.

Wonwoo clenched his knife in his hand at the words. Mingyu felt his own heart cracking at his behalf. After everything… This was a hard slap of the reality. To everyone else, Wonwoo was still the unwanted outcast.

“Minghao, he’s not-“

“Tell him to drop the knife!” Minghao wasn’t hearing anything.

“I’m just trying to-“ Wonwoo tried to explain.

“Mingyu, now!” Minghao pulled away again.

Wonwoo sighed and stood up. “Here.” he handed Mingyu the knife. “Untie him and go.” he said quietly.

“I’m so sorry…” Mingyu apologized from the bottom of his heart.

“Don’t be. That’s how it always is.” Wonwoo said and walked back to his house, locking the door behind him.

Minghao was looking at the exchange with eyes full of fire. “Do you have any idea how stupid that little stunt you pulled was?” he hissed the moment they were alone again.

Mingyu didn’t say anything as he leaned down to cut the thin rope around Minghao’s legs.

“You were repeatedly warned to stay away from him. Why _in the world_ did you come here?” Minghao stood up the moment he was free.

That was really not how Mingyu wanted to talk to Minghao for the first time after their fight. He dropped Wonwoo’s knife to the ground for the other to pick up later and turned to his adopted brother.

“What did you tell mother?” he simply asked.

“I… I told her that you might be with a girl or something!” Minghao said with exasperation.

Mingyu groaned. Of all the excuses he could have come up with…

“This is insane Mingyu! Please tell me you didn’t spend an entire night with him.” Minghao pulled his arm roughly.

“I did.” Mingyu said instead.

Minghao let out a frustrated sound and began dragging Mingyu back towards the forest.

“You will regret this Mingyu. I won’t always be there to save your sorry ass from this mess you are getting yourself into.” he muttered as they walked away, further and further away from the comfort of Wonwoo’s house.

Minghao was clumsily stepping outside the path in his hurry to get away. Mingyu saw how he was crushing some of the carefully cut plants on his path without even a second glance, but he couldn’t bring himself to get him to stop. Minghao would just look at him like he was insane. Who cared about some wild flower plants?

They spent the rest of the way back in a charged silence. It was only when they reached the front of the village that Minghao released his arm and turned to look at him seriously.

“Do you have anything to say to me?” he said.

He was asking for an apology. This was another chance for Mingyu to do what he was supposed to and return to normal, to forget everything ever happened. If he apologized now, he knew Minghao would forgive him and they’d go back to how they were. Minghao cared about him, he had obviously been worried. Even if they had a fight, he still came to protect him when he thought that he was in danger. And he had covered for him to his mother again. Even when they weren’t on speaking terms, Minghao could be trusted to keep his secrets. Mingyu knew that Minghao was doing his best when he gave him another chance to apologize and get out of the situation they have found themselves to.

This was another chance Mingyu threw away.

“Thank you for not saying anything to mother.” he simply said.

Minghao looked at him for a little longer, giving him another chance to continue. When he realized that was all Mingyu was going to say, he huffed and abruptly turned his back to go back to the village.

_I’m sorry._ Mingyu’s strength was running out quickly. It was all he could do to follow Minghao silently, without saying the words he didn’t really want to say out loud. _I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry._

It was almost ironic how lively and energized the mood at the market road was. Every stall was open, the people behind them yelling pleasantries as loud as they could to attract customers . Minghao stomped through them, not even lifting his head to look at the people that were calling out. Mingyu didn’t lift his head either, but it was not out of anger. He just felt so small between all the villagers, he felt somehow dirty. For once, he wanted to get out of the market as fast as possible.

They were approaching the fabric stall, and Mingyu dreaded the moment. He was in no mood to talk to Kyulkyung, not after the episode at the forest, and not ever. It was too bad Nayoung was with her all the time. She looked a lot more decent and kinder than most of them.

“Hao!” Kyulkyung inevitably called out when she saw them.

Couldn’t she read the mood? How bored must she have been to want to talk to them when they were clearly not on a carefree stroll? The fact that they were walking two steps apart should have been indication enough that something was wrong.

“Not now Kyung!” Minghao called back and simply kept walking.

Mingyu saw Kyulkyung frowning. “What is wrong with him?” she asked Mingyu instead.

Mingyu didn’t want to talk to Kyulkyung. But the rest of the girls behind her were whispering amongst themselves, some in worry and some in curiosity. Nayoung was looking at him with a mix of both, and Mingyu couldn’t pretend he didn’t see her and keep walking. He sighed deeply and approached the counter.

“Good morning ladies.” he called, his voice laced with overdramatic sadness and disappointment.

“What happened guys?” Kyulkyung asked immediately.

“We had a little fight…” Mingyu pouted.

The girls exclaimed in surprise. Mingyu couldn’t blame them. He had never fought with Minghao quite like that before.

“Yeah, it kind of sucks but… we’re still as close as real brothers. I’m sure we will work something out.” he reassured them with a sad smile.

“Oh, Mingyu…”

“You poor things…”

“Don’t be sad…”

The reactions were exactly those Mingyu was aiming for.

“If you ever need anyone to talk to…” Nayoung said, but Kyulkyung cut her off.

“They’ll be fine.” she said curtly. She must have connected the dots. The sudden outburst in the forest and now a fight that seemingly appeared out of nowhere… Kyulkyung wasn’t stupid. She probably guessed exactly what they were fighting about. “We shouldn’t get involved in something that is not our business, girls.” she said, looking at Mingyu pointedly.

That was clearly aimed at him. Another warning to stay away from Wonwoo and the abnormal things he did. How many more of those was Mingyu going to take before they managed to scare him away from doing what he thought was the right thing? The pressure was going to be enormous and Mingyu wasn’t ready for it.

“Thank you all for your concern.” Mingyu said, bowing slightly at the girls. “If there is anything we might need, I’ll be the first to let you know.”

With that, he went home. He saw Minghao in the fields in the distance, watering the plants with concentration. His movements were controlled and mechanical, and he didn’t even notice Mingyu as he walked towards the house.

Mingyu prayed that his mother was somewhere on the fields too and not in there. He needed a few moments to collect himself before another attack at his behaviour.

But alas, even God must have abandoned him. His mother was unfortunately in her kitchen, sorting through the cabinets and cleaning them. Mingyu tried to go to the stairs quietly. Maybe he could retreat to his room without his mother realizing.

He was fooling himself at this point. When had his mother _not_ noticed even the slightest disturbance at the house?

“Mingyu, are you home?” she called and poked her head out of the room.

Mingyu sighed. “I’m home.” he replied.

His mother didn’t immediately smother him with the “where have you been?”, “what did you do all night?”, “how dare you lie to me?” questions Mingyu was expecting. She simply sighed too and started undoing her apron.

“Can I talk to you for a second, son?” she asked.

“I guess…” Mingyu was a little suspicious of this behaviour.

“Let’s sit.” his mother gestured to the couch and Mingyu took a seat alongside her.

There were barely any pillows on this couch. Even the few that were here, were simply for décor and God forbid Mingyu touch them. He didn’t know why he was only now feeling disappointed by this after all those years he had spent sitting on the same couch, but he was.

“First of all, are you okay? Unharmed?” his mother asked, drying her wet hands on the apron she was now holding.

“I’m fine.” Mingyu replied.

“Good.” she said. “You know… when your father was your age…” she began and Mingyu groaned.

Not one of those speeches again. His father was always a model of proper behaviour and manners, and Mingyu was expected to be a carbon copy of his.

“Don’t interrupt me, boy.” his mother huffed and hit him with the apron. “As I was saying, when your father was your age, he went through a period of time when his visits to the church stopped.” she said.

That was admittedly something Mingyu hadn’t heard before.

“His parents had no idea he skipped it every Thursday night. They knew he was devoted to the lord, they trusted him to be responsible. But there was that brief period when he as your age, that he found interest in something else.”

“What?” Mingyu couldn’t help but ask.

“I’m sure you can guess what it is.” his mother smiled knowingly.

Mingyu genuinely couldn’t think of anything. Had there actually been something more important to his father at some point in his life, even briefly? Mingyu would have never guessed.

“When his parents found out what he was doing, they were tempted to punish him, send him back to church or even a monastery. But instead, they decided that there was no point in getting mad at him. There was a much easier way to deal with the situation. After all, it was only natural he wanted to get married to a nice girl at that age.” his mother explained.

Oh. _Oh._

This was all about what Minghao had told her mother as an excuse as to why he spent the night away. She must have genuinely believed that he spent it with a girl, and now she was giving him the speech that she thought was appropriate for the situation.

Mingyu fought back another groan. He hadn’t needed to know that his father had run around with girls when he was his age. Now he got a faint idea where the conversation was going and honestly, it was equally as bad as getting scolded for lying and doing something reckless.

“What I’m saying Mingyu, is that it is not a shame that you want to fulfill your body’s needs. You’re a boy, it’s only natural to feel like this.” his mother continued.

Was this when Mingyu died of mortification? He definitely hoped so.

“But as your mother, I have to teach you that it this is not an appropriate way to meet with ladies. I know you’re handsome enough to be able to seduce them, but this not a gentlemanly behaviour.” she said sternly. “Your father will agree with me for this too. After we got married, he admitted that what he had been doing was wrong, and asked God for forgiveness. He has been faithful to me all those years.” she said proudly. “Marriage is a blessed thing, I can’t scold you for trying to find a woman to keep you company in this life. I can only help you do this the proper way. So tell me son. Is there a girl you like in this village?” she asked with genuine interest.

This conversation was not something that Mingyu was prepared at all. He didn’t think he would ever be prepared either.

“Mom…” he tried to say. “I don’t think this is a subject we should…”

“Nonsense!” she replied immediately. “I want to help you, my baby. I’m your family, if you can’t talk to me about stuff like that, then who are you going to talk to?”

Mingyu had to admit, his mother was a bless. If this conversation was happening under normal circumstances, despite being embarrassed beyond himself, Mingyu would have been thankful. There weren’t many parents as supportive of their children’s choices in marriage partners. This was his mother showing how open-minded and accepting she was, in her own way.

If only Mingyu had really been with a girl last night.

“I appreciate it mom, I really do but…” Mingyu tried to wiggle his way out of it. “If it isn’t a big problem to you and father, I would prefer if I didn’t marry just yet?” he said uncertainly.

His mother sighed. She didn’t like that answer, not one bit. “It is not right of you to keep meeting girls behind the village’s back. Just think about their honour. Don’t you feel guilty at all? Don’t you want your girl to be able to walk on the streets proudly as your honored wife?”

“I…” Mingyu trailed off. This conversation was a dead end. He didn’t know how to address this subject anymore. His mother wasn’t outright pressuring him to talk, but she wasn’t going to back out like that either.

“Look,” she said in the end and crossed her hands in front of her. “Just tell me a name. I won’t arrange anything yet. Just promise me you are with one girl only and tell me her name. I will give you time to fall in love with her if this is what your heart truly wants.” she said and bit her lip.

Mingyu felt even more guilty at this. His mother was outdoing herself. This offer was beyond anything Mingyu had imagined possible in his life. His beloved mother was so kind, so understanding. She loved him enough to be so lenient, even in something as strict as marriage. Mingyu felt awful to be betraying that kind of trust.

He toyed with the idea of telling her the truth. Of all the people that might have a chance to understand him and listen to what he had to say, she was probably the one with biggest. Would she ever put aside any prejudice against Wonwoo and let Mingyu explain what he had seen?

The answer was clear. She wouldn’t. Not when it meant going against everyone in the village and more importantly, going against his father. Any hope Mingyu nurtured died like that. If he wanted to get out of the conversation with as less damage as possible, he had to give a name.

“It’s umm…” he hesitated. How could he do this to any girl? “It’s…” he tried again, the thoughts getting confused inside his head. His mother was eagerly waiting for an answer. Her eyes were locked him, giving his as much support as pressure. Mingyu sighed again. “It’s… Nayoung.” he managed to say in the end.

“Im Nayoung? Aesun’s daughter?” his mother leaned back, her features lighting up.

Mingyu nodded. She was the only girl he had ever liked, even in the few times he had briefly talked to her. And she probably liked him too, so he wasn’t going to potentially hurt her by telling his mother that there was some kind of bond between them.

“Oh my!” his mother smiled and fanned herself. “She’s quite a beauty! And such a nice family too… Mingyu, my dear, that’s such a fine choice!” she said happily.

“Thank you, I guess…” Mingyu murmured.

“Don’t make that face my baby.” his mother said excitedly. “I’m so proud of you.” she added and hugged him tightly.

Mingyu closed his eyes, trying to swallow down his guilt. He didn’t deserve this. “But mom, we were adamant about keeping this a secret.” he said. “Even if you know and you talk to her, she will pretend that she knows nothing. And you promised, you can’t say anything about this to anyone.” Mingyu said seriously.

“I understand.” his mother nodded. “Don’t worry, my lips are sealed.” she made a zipping motion.

“Thank you…” Mingyu slouched back on the couch, feeling like a weight was taken off his shoulders, but another one has come to immediately replace it.

“Ah, these are such happy news.” his mother got off the couch. “You give me strength to continue my work, my dear.” she said and Mingyu gave her a tired smile.

He wished he could always make his mother as happy as now. He had lied again, but at least she was proud of him.

“Now, on with your work! I will forgive your lateness this once, but the field is not going to water itself.” she clapped to get him off the couch.

“Minghao is already on the field.” Mingyu said, getting up anyway.

“Yes, Mingyu, I sent him there. You can join him.” his mother said.

Mingyu made a face. He had feeling Minghao wasn’t going to be very happy if he saw him in front of him now.

“Are you two still fighting?” his mother asked, placing her hands on her waist.

Mingyu nodded.

“Alright. Go feed the animals then. But this is the last time I’m going easy on you, you hear me? Hurry up and fix things with Hao, I’m not saying this again.” she scolded him.

“Thank you, mom.” Mingyu said and hugged her small body again. “For everything.”

“I want you to be happy my baby.” she said and patted his back. “If this is the way, so be it.”

So Mingyu went to feed his family’s animals. It was strange how he had been feeding some of them for so many years, but he still hasn’t named any of them.

~~~

That night, Mingyu excused himself early from the dinner. It wasn’t that his mother’s rice wasn’t good, quite far from it. There was just a sudden exhaustion that washed over him, like a wet blanket pinning him to the ground.

He blamed it on the events of the morning. A lot has happened in the span of a little time, and maybe his body wasn’t able to keep up with the emotional load. His parents thankfully didn’t question his decision and they let him go peacefully.

Mingyu found that he was shivering as he climbed the stairs to his room. His house wasn’t that cold, it was barely October, and even though he had been fine a few hours ago, now he felt like everything was freezing. He pulled an extra blanket from the store room next to his parents’ bedroom and locked himself into his room.

Once alone, he quickly changed out of his clothes and cocooned himself with his blankets on his bed. His head was feeling fuzzy, and he just kept shivering, even beneath the covers. He was starting to suspect that maybe this was more than just simple exhaustion.

It would be bad if he raised a fever now. Minghao would never let him live it down if he got sick after spending a night at Wonwoo’s house. He was going to say that it was somehow Wonwoo’s fault and Mingyu would have no way to defend him. It had been a long time since he raised a fever, and it would look too suspicious now to be considered a coincidence.

That didn’t change the fact that what had started as a light shiver, was turning into serious trembling. He had half the mind to call his mother for help, but if she asked for details, he knew that he would cave in and tell her the whole truth, which was something he couldn’t afford. The timing of this fever was terrible.

Mingyu groaned and closed his eyes, in attempt to calm his pounding head. The truth was, Wonwoo _had_ been asking him again and again if he was feeling alright, if he was dizzy or hot. He must have jinxed it, because even though Mingyu wasn’t dizzy now, he was feeling like a boulder has rolled over him.

He placed his hands between his thighs in search of warmth, even though he knew that he was already excessively warm. He supposed he should just lay like that until it went away. That’s how fevers worked, didn’t they? They came and went as they pleased. Mingyu prepared himself for a sleepless, cold night. He prepared himself to wake up drenched in sweat, if it all went well and the fever indeed broke down.

He hoped he was well enough in the morning to go do his work as usual and never let this little episode of his be known. He didn’t know what had caused it, and even though that scared him a little, he put all his mind in trying to sleep and let it pass without alerting anyone. That was the best he could hope for.

~~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Irrelevant, but has anyone watched TharnType tho? I watched it right after I wrote those chapters and I was like MEW I'M SO SORRY I DIDN'T KNOW. 
> 
> Thank you for reading, feedback is always appreciated! Update in five days!


	6. Voici le S.O.S

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello. Nothing to say this time other than enjoy :)

The days following Mingyu’s reckless stay at Wonwoo’s house were passing by like dreams. It felt like Mingyu’s life suddenly made a drop, and while everything was the same, it somehow felt unreal. That was mostly because Minghao still wasn’t talking to him, and without him, Mingyu didn’t want to spend time with anyone else. It had been the first time in his life that he was spending so much time either alone or with his family.

His fever had disappeared as suddenly as it had appeared. In the next morning, he had woken up with wet sheets from his sweat, but no other indication that he had ever been ill. Mingyu still didn’t know what all this had been about. He hadn’t spent any time in harsh weather, or met anyone else who was ill. In the end, he had decided to let that little mystery behind him and carry on with his life.

He had also stopped going to the market. It wasn’t that he wasn’t trying to go, he woke up determined to finally go back to his orange tree every day. On one hand, a part of him wanted to see Wonwoo again. He wanted to see if his attitude has changed at all, if they were going to greet each other like friends now. On the other hand, he didn’t want to accidentally meet him in the market in front of everyone. He was scared that if they did greet each other like friends, people would talk, and the last thing Mingyu wanted was to be associated with someone with the reputation of Wonwoo.

At the same time, he really wanted to speak to Minghao. His house was a little north from the middle of the market, and Mingyu had to go through it if he wanted to reach there. He had missed Minghao so much. Not talking to him for so many days now was like a knife to the heart. That was what made everything harder. He had never been separated from him for this long, and his absence felt like he was missing a part of himself. Everyday he walked to Minghao’s old room next to his own, and every day he thought that this was going to be the last one he spent without him.

Alas, when he found the courage to leave his house and go to the market, he came face to face with Kyulkyung, who was always at the fabric stall closer to his house. Mingyu absolutely didn’t want to talk to Kyulkyung until he had Minghao on his side again. If she had it out for him before, there was no telling what she was going to do now.

And now he had another problem too.

Nayoung was always in the fabric stall as well. Sweet, innocent Nayoung, who had absolutely nothing to do with everything that was happening. Mingyu felt that he had dragged her in his mess the moment he mentioned her name to his mother. He felt guilty to face her now, knowing that he had soiled her reputation with his lies, even if his mother was the only one who knew about it.

Whenever it was time to pass by the fabric stall, Mingyu felt a lump at his heart and immediately turned tail and run back home. He was weak, and he was a coward, and the longer this kept up, the worse he felt about himself. Minghao had always been the brave and daring one of them. He thought up every adventure they had been on and Mingyu was happy to follow him. Now, without him by his side, he felt immensely less powerful.

So Mingyu did his work for his family and stayed at home. That was how his life had turned, and all the power that he needed to change that, he had spent it the night he convinced himself to go at Wonwoo’s house.

One night, he was at his room, reading one of the few books he had from his childhood. This alone should have been an indication that something was wrong with him. Mingyu usually hated to read. It was hard to keep his concertation in a page for long, and his eyes hurt from trying to focus them so much. They especially hurt that night, because the sun had gone out hours ago, and the only illumination in his room was that of a weak lantern.

He shouldn’t have stayed up so late to read a book in the first place. His parents were asleep, and he should be too. He was having an inner debate whether to turn off the lantern and sleep or waste more of his precious sleep time by reading a children’s book, when a loud knock came from the door downstairs.

Mingyu placed his book down and turned his head towards the noise. There was no way someone was at their door this late at night. He almost convinced himself that it had been his imagination, when the knock sounded again, for a little longer than before.

There was no mistaking it this time. Mingyu got up from his desk and opened his door, only to see that his mother was coming out of her room too. She silently closed the door behind her to not wake Mingyu’s father and quietly motioned at Mingyu to go back to his room too.

“I’ll handle this, go back to sleep.” she said.

“But mom, what if it is something dangerous?” Mingyu whispered.

“Then you should definitely go back to your room.” his mother said with a frown and went downstairs.

Mingyu watched her disappear to the first floor. He couldn’t leave her alone, he was too worried. And no matter what she said, Mingyu was a grown, tall man. He had better chances than his mother at fighting an intruder if it came to it. So he shuffled close to the stairs to listen to what happened. If it came to it, he was ready to bolt down and help.

He heard his mother opening the door. She gasped at who see saw, and Mingyu’s grip on the railing tightened.

“What are _you_ doing here?” his mother said appalled.

“I… I’m sorry, I just…” a deep voice said. Mingyu froze. It couldn’t be…

“Whatever you have in mind, take it and leave! You’re not welcome here!” his mother’s voice sounded intense.

“I-I’m really sorry, b-but-“

“Did you hear me boy? Don’t make me wake up my husband, you will regret this.”

Mingyu didn’t wait to hear the rest. He ran down the stairs. His mother had only kept the door half open, but Mingyu opened it wide, despite her shocked face.

And sure enough, on the other side was Wonwoo. He wore a very thin shirt, with no coat, and he was shivering in the cold. The most shocking thing though was that his expression wasn’t calm or apathetic as it always was in front of another person. He was trying to keep a straight face, but his eyes were wide open and full or worry, his bottom lip caught between his teeth.

“Wonwoo? What happened?” Mingyu said, fear starting to root inside of him too.

Wonwoo’s eyes got even sadder when he saw him, as if he stopped trying to control whatever he was feeling.

“Mingyu, I…” he tried to say, but his voice was hoarse. “I-it’s Anpiel. Someone took him and I… I-I’m sorry, I didn’t know where else to go…”

“Who took him?”

“I-I don’t know for sure, there were many of them… I don’t know what to do.” his eyes started getting teary.

Mingyu immediately took his jacket off and threw it over the other’s shoulder. He was freezing. Mingyu’s heart beat wildly in his chest as he covered him to the best of his ability.

“Mingyu what is this?” his mother’s voice sounded cold.

Honestly, what was there to tell her? If Wonwoo had come all this way to find him… Mingyu couldn’t send him away.

“Mother please.” Mingyu’s voice was steady. “If you love me, please go inside.”

“Mingyu you can’t be serious.” she was shocked, but she wasn’t mad, not yet.

“Mother please, I beg you.” Mingyu said as he took a step outside, closer to Wonwoo. “I will explain in the morning just please, please go back inside and don’t say anything to father.”

Mingyu wasn’t above begging. Wonwoo grabbed the edge of Mingyu’s shirt when he was close enough, his hand still trembling.

“Mingyu you-“

“Mom, this is serious!” Mingyu whisper-yelled. “I’ll be back, I swear!”

It was the first time in his life that he had managed to render his mother speechless. Under other circumstances, he would be gloating. Now, he had a sick worry expanding in the middle of his chest, and he wanted his mother gone immediately.

“If you hurt him, you’ll regret this.” his mother said at Wonwoo, who only just trembled harder.

“Mom, go!” Mingyu grabbed Wonwoo from the jacket he had thrown over him and brought him closer, trying to shield him from his mother’s harsh words.

She just tsked and threw at Mingyu another coat from inside the house.

“If you’re not back by the morning, I’m telling your father.” she said sternly, before finally closing the door behind her.

Wonwoo sniffed when they were alone. He was holding on the jacket tightly too.

“We have to get out of here.” Mingyu told him quietly. “Come on.” he gently pulled him towards the street, putting as much distance between his house and them.

“I’m so sorry, you’re going to be in so much trouble now…” Wonwoo said, sounding genuinely guilty.

“It doesn’t matter.” Mingyu said, his grip getting a little tighter.

He stopped a little before they reached the market road. That was a quiet enough area to finally talk to Wonwoo.

“Tell me what happened.” he said, trying to keep his voice as gentle as possible.

“I was just sitting in my home when I heard ruckus from outside. I tried to see who was there from the front door, but there was no one. When I realized they were in the back, I-I quickly ran to see what they were doing, but they all ran away screaming when they saw me.” Wonwoo sniffed again. “A-Anpiel wasn’t there anymore.” his voice broke a little. “And he can’t be away from me for long, I have to give him medicine for the poisoning or else he will d-die and I can’t let him die.” his eyes got teary in the end.

“Oh my God…” Mingyu said and quickly pulled him into a hug. “I’m so sorry…”

“I’m the one who should be sorry…” Wonwoo murmured, tiredly leaning his head on Mingyu’s shoulder. “I shouldn’t have come to you, you have nothing to do with this… I only got you in trouble…”

He sounded so guilty at something that wasn’t even his fault. Wonwoo was fine with whatever they did to him, he went through all the abuse, all the harsh words and unreasonable fear without a peep of complaint. He never hurt anyone, but people still went and did this to him.

Why would anyone steal his cat? What despicable plebs of human beings could be as cruel as that?

“You didn’t get me in trouble, it’s okay…” Mingyu tried to reassure him. “I’ll help you find him, don’t worry.”

“Are you sure?” Wonwoo looked up at him, eyes wide in desperation.

“Of course. Whoever did this needs to apologize.” Mingyu said, pulling him for another hug.

“I don’t want an apology… J-just Anpiel…” Wonwoo’s words were muffled on Mingyu’s coat.

“We’ll get him back, I promise.” Mingyu sighed. “Do you remember anything about the people who took him?” he asked, already trying to think about whoever had a reason to hurt Wonwoo.

There were very few who would dare to seriously mess with Wonwoo, thinking he was a witch. Mingyu’s heart hurt to admit it, but he could only think of a few very specific people.

“There were boys and girls.” Wonwoo said, pulling back to talk to Mingyu clearly. “They weren’t old, probably our age. And they didn’t activate the trap, they must have known that it was already there.”

Apart from him, Minghao was the only one who knew about the nature of the trap. The confirmation to his thoughts hurt. It felt like someone force fed him a piece of rock and now it sat heavily at his stomach. He had really called these cruel people his friends all those years. And Minghao… Minghao was his brother. How could he?

_How could he?_

Mingyu’s grief suddenly got replaced by anger. He wasn’t allowed to feel hurt when Wonwoo was in front of him. _Wonwoo_ was the one who was hurting, not him. Mingyu had spent so many days missing Minghao, seriously considering apologizing to him about his behaviour because he missed him too much, while Wonwoo was all alone in that house of his in the middle of the forest, feeling lonely and abandoned for _years_ now.

Mingyu was done feeling sorry for Minghao. He was done waiting for him to see the error of his ways. What he did was beyond forgiving and Mingyu was furious now.

“Come on.” he grabbed Wonwoo’s hand. “I know where Anpiel is.” he said.

“You do?” Wonwoo asked surprised.

“There are two houses he could be in.” Mingyu explained. “Out of all of them, only Yongsun and Minghao live alone. And one of them carries a lot more hate than the other.” Mingyu said bitterly.

“Minghao? Your friend?” Wonwoo was forcing himself to walk even faster to catch up with Mingyu’s long, determined strides.

“We’ll see about that.” Mingyu said through gritted teeth.

Wonwoo’s hand was still cold to the touch, but the shivering was finally starting to fade away. Mingyu could imagine him rushing out of his house in fear and panic and reaching the village with nowhere to go. He must have felt so desperate to come to him. It had been very brave to face Mingyu’s mother while he was vulnerable and in the edge of tears, without the mask of apathy to shield himself from her harshness.

If Wonwoo had found the strength to come to him, then Mingyu had no excuse to avoid talking to Minghao anymore. He had spent days cowering in fear, but now he was strong again. He was going to make Minghao apologize, even if it was the last thing he ever said to him.

They were almost below Minghao’s house when Wonwoo pulled him back a bit.

“If you’re going to be cruel, make sure it is for a good reason.” he said seriously.

Mingyu breathed heavily. “We’re getting your cat, we make him apologize and we’re leaving.” he said.

“I don’t need an apology.”

“ _I_ do.” Mingyu said through gritted teeth.

Wonwoo didn’t let go of his hand until they were right in front of Minghao’s door. He lived on the second floor of the barber’s shop. The barber let him stay there with full access to his shop to protect it from any unwanted guests. After all, the mayor’s adopted son _must_ have been a good boy, right? Mingyu banged the door loudly, knowing that Minghao was going to hear him.

Wonwoo tried to get some distance between them before the door opened. Even now, he was thoughtful of Mingyu’s image. He probably still felt bad about involving him at this, but Mingyu was having none of it. He took his hand back in his own and pulled him to his side.

“You’re not alone in this.” he told him firmly.

Wonwoo didn’t get the chance to react, because the door opened. Minghao was fully dressed, another indication of his guiltiness. If he had been sleeping, he would be in his gown.

“What the hell?” Minghao said when he saw them together.

“Where is his cat?” Mingyu said as a greeting.

Minghao gaped at him, like he couldn’t actually believe he was here. “How did you-?” he tried to ask.

“Just give him his cat back Minghao.” Mingyu said.

Minghao’s eyes swiped over Wonwoo now. He was still clinging on to Mingyu’s side, eyes casted to the floor. Minghao must have noticed he was wrapped in Mingyu’s jacket. It wasn’t hard to realize that Wonwoo had went to him to ask for help.

“Is this for real? Are you taking _his_ side?” Minghao asked.

“I warned you not to bother him, didn’t I? Bring his cat and apologize, before I decide to honour my threat and not speak to you ever again.” Mingyu said coldly.

“You wouldn’t...” Minghao was taken aback.

“Watch me.”

Minghao was at a loss of words. He just stared at them both with a disbelieving look.

“Minghao.” Mingyu took a deep breath. “If you’ve ever valued our friendship, be the bigger man and give him back his cat.”

Minghao looked at Wonwoo one more time before he disappeared to the house, only to come back out with a wildly thrashing bag. There was an aggravated meowing coming from inside it, and Minghao quickly threw it to the ground before it scratched him.

“I’m only doing this for you.” he said to Mingyu. “But you better come to your senses soon. You can’t keep hanging around with…”

He trailed off as he saw Wonwoo quickly droping to his knees next to the bag to open it, only for the huge gray cat to leap at him with eyes blown wide and terrified.

“Hey, hey Anpiel it’s me, calm down, you’re safe.” Wonwoo cuddled the wild cat and Minghao looked at him with wide eyes. Wonwoo took out his coat and wrapped it around the anxious cat in an attempt to calm it down. “Shh, you’re safe, it’s fine.” Wonwoo repeated in a soothing voice.

He took a vial of a gray liquid from his back pocket and held it to the cat’s mouth. “I know you don’t like it, but it’s way overdue.” he said, holding the cat’s jaw and fearlessly pouring the liquid down it’s throat.

Minghao gaped at him. “What in the world-?”

“The cat was poisoned. Wonwoo found it like this and he was treating it for a week now. You almost killed it by taking it away. He was so worried, he walked all the way to my house without even a jacket. He knocked on my door for help and my mother opened it.” Mingyu explained.

He took off his own coat and draped over both Wonwoo and the cat. Wonwoo didn’t even look at him as he kept stroking Anpiel’s fur and talked softly to calm him down.

“Are you ready to apologize yet?” Mingyu asked Minghao.

Minghao had the decency to look at least a little regretful. But Minghao had never been one to immediately realize his mistakes and apologize for them. Like every other person in this village, he wasn’t used to listening when someone was explaining how mistaken he had been in his judgement. He threw Mingyu a dirty look, and it was then that Mingyu knew this was a lost battle.

“You’re still taking his side in this, even after everyone’s warnings. I can’t forgive you for that.” he said.

Mingyu had been in the process of calming down. Even in his anger, he had still held himself back from lashing out at his best friend. He had really hoped that he would finally get him to understand how wrong he was about his opinion on Wonwoo if he made him witness how caring he was. But no. No matter what, Minghao was stuck in his own selfish world.

_If you’re going to be cruel, make sure it’s for a good reason._

Mingyu saw red.

“ _You_ can’t forgive _me?”_ he yelled loudly.

Not only Minghao was startled by the outburst, but Wonwoo and the cat too.

“Mingyu, your voice-“ Minghao tried to shush him.

“Who do you think you are to have people need your forgiveness? I’ll tell you who you are.” Mingyu kept yelling. “You’re a selfish, cruel, blind boy that I sometimes wish wasn’t my friend! Do you see this?” he pointed at Wonwoo. He was looking at both of them with a contemplative look, holding the cat tightly to his chest. “Does this look like a person who deserves your hate? Is this really someone you want to hurt?” Mingyu kept shouting in the middle of the street, not caring about who else might be listening.

“Mingyu, be quiet-“

“Minghao, _LOOK._ For the love of God, open your eyes and _look!”_ Mingyu kept pointing at Wonwoo, who was quietly sitting on the floor through all this. “Are you such a hateful person that you chose to ignore what you see right in front of your eyes? Is this really the Minghao I know?”

“What are you doing down there boys?”

A window opened from the house opposite of Minghao’s and a woman poked her head out. Mingyu finally tore his eyes off Minghao and looked around him. There were more windows and doors opening from the surrounding houses, curious people trying to see who was yelling in the middle of the night. Mingyu cursed under his tongue and pulled the coat he had thrown on Wonwoo’s shoulders over the boy’s head to cover him.

“Please get up, we need to leave.” he told him quietly.

Wonwoo hastily got up, perching the cat’s front paws on his shoulder to keep it steady and shuffled close to Mingyu. Minghao was frozen on his spot, and Mingyu couldn’t help but feel hopeful that maybe, just _maybe_ , he was actually watching now. With one last glance towards him, Mingyu wrapped an arm around Wonwoo’s waist and hurriedly pushed him away from all the prying eyes, before anyone noticed who the fight was actually about.

 _Let them think it’s about a girl,_ Mingyu thought as they reached the market road. All he cared about was that he got Wonwoo’s cat back, and it was healthy. They began walking towards the exit of the village together. The road was dark, even if the moon shone its brightest above them. The eerie silence and the lack of people would be ideal to attack if anyone still had any malicious thoughts about Wonwoo, and Mingyu wasn’t going to let anything happen to him now.

“Are you okay?” he asked, releasing Wonwoo’s waist now that they were on their own again.

“I am. Anpiel’s a little shocked, but he is not in danger anymore.” Wonwoo said. “Thank you.”

“Actually,” Mingyu said after a second of thinking about it, “thank _you._ I’d have never found the courage to talk to Minghao like this if it wasn’t for you.”

“Did you feel good when you were yelling at him?” Wonwoo asked, rubbing the cat on his shoulder absent-mindedly.

 _Did I?_ Mingyu didn’t really know how to answer. It was definitely empowering to yell your thoughts like that and force the others to listen but… Minghao was his best friend. He would have preferred if he had listened to him from the beginning and it hadn’t gotten to this. Yelling to get his point across wasn’t something to be considered good. To Mingyu, it had been the last resort to get things fixed when nothing else has worked.

“To be honest… No.” Mingyu frowned. “No, I didn’t like it one bit. I don’t regret it, but I wish I hadn’t needed to do it.”

“Good.” Wonwoo said simply.

“Good?” Mingyu asked. Shouldn’t it have felt good to release all that pent-up anger? Wasn’t that the answer Wonwoo had been expecting?

“Good.” Wonwoo nodded. “It means you’re kind. And you really love your friend, don’t you?”

“I…” Mingyu didn’t expect that. How could he, when this was Wonwoo he was talking to. “I do, I guess. We grew up together…”

“But you still defended me against him. Me, of all people.” Wonwoo snorted, like it amused him.

“Is it really such a crazy thing to do?” Mingyu pouted.

“The craziest.” Wonwoo smiled at him brightly. Maybe it was just Mingyu, but that smile was brighter than the moon. More precious too, because it was so rare. He couldn’t help but smile back.

They passed by Mingyu’s orange tree, and Mingyu couldn’t help but wonder what it would have been like if Wonwoo wasn’t shunned by the village the minute he stepped foot in it. Could they have been friends? Could Mingyu just casually go at his house and drag him to sit under this orange tree and play guessing games like he did with Minghao?

It was such a far away thought. He couldn’t imagine a Wonwoo that wasn’t weird. He couldn’t imagine Wonwoo without his vials of multiple coloured liquids, without his crazy water pipes or without a freaking wild cat falling asleep on his shoulder as they walked. In a village that thrived on being normal, Wonwoo was as far from it as possible. He was like a tornado living amongst solid mountains. They wouldn’t budge no matter what, while Wonwoo was constantly moving.

If it was crazy to be fascinated by a tornado when you spent your entire life being a mountain, then Mingyu was happy to be called crazy.

They reached the edge of the village, and Wonwoo convinced Mingyu not to follow him all the way to his home.

“Your mother will be worried. The sooner you return home, the better.” he had said.

After everything, Wonwoo was still being considerate about the woman who was attacking him while he was at his weakest. He could call Mingyu kind all he wanted, but Wonwoo was heaps kinder than him. Mingyu hoped to get up to that level one day.

“Be careful then.” Mingyu told him firmly.

“Don’t worry, I will unleash Anpiel to whoever tries to mess with me.” Wonwoo said and wiggled the cat in his arms.

The huge, vicious wild cat that was sleeping on Wonwoo’s shoulder like a harmless baby. Mingyu almost forgot that was a thing.

“Okay, little bird. Let Anpiel keep you safe.” Mingyu chuckled.

He only realized how fitting the nickname was as he walked back home, long after they had said goodbye. Wonwoo _was_ like a bird. It was like he had the ability to fly above the rest of the earth, but could never really leave it go any higher. Mingyu sighed deeply and raised his head to look at the moon. It wasn’t as spotlessly clean of clouds as it had been that night he spent at Wonwoo’s house, but it was still beautiful.

Mingyu walked home, knowing it was going to be a lot cloudier in there.

~~~

Mingyu’s mother was pacing back and forth for a solid ten minutes now. Mingyu was starting to get uncomfortable on the kitchen counter he had perched himself on. It was ten minutes since he had returned home and found that his mother was waiting for him on the couch. Ten minutes since she had locked them both in the kitchen to talk without the danger of his father hearing.

“I don’t even know how to begin Mingyu.” his mother finally said, her voice laced with desperation. “I have no idea what to ask, how to guide you.” she said.

Mingyu didn’t regret a thing he did that night. If anything, it felt like he should have done it a lot earlier and avoid all this mess. But what had happened, happened, and Mingyu was ready to talk his way out of this.

“We can take it from the beginning.” he said, voice steady. “Remember that time I found myself at his house when chasing that deer?”

His mother nodded.

“Alright. I didn’t tell you that time, but we talked a bit.” he made it look like he was confessing the whole truth now.

His mother still groaned. “Mingyu why? Why would you talk to him? Don’t you hear the rumors going around?” she asked.

“That’s why I talked to him.” Mingyu said. “I wanted to know the truth.”

“Mingyu that was dangerous!”

“There’s nothing I can do about it now. I’m sorry.” Mingyu shrugged. “But yeah, we talked, and he told me about this cat of his. He was… a little crazy about it, to be honest.” Mingyu tried not to smile fondly. That was not far from the truth at all. “You saw how worried he was that someone took it.”

His mother nodded again. “He seemed troubled.” she said.

“He was. He came here because I was the only one he had ever talked to about this cat. And mom, I know he is weird, and that everyone is scared of him, but we really just looked for his cat together.” Mingyu explained. “We found it too. It must have escaped whoever took it.”

“Why did you agree to this so easily though? You seemed worried too, son.” his mother said accusingly.

“Because… wasn’t this the decent thing to do mom? Wasn’t whoever took his cat in the wrong here?” Mingyu tried to reason with her.

“…Even if they were, why you? Why did he have to come to you?” she kept frowning.

“I told you. I was the only he had talked to about this before.” Mingyu repeated.

“I was so worried, my baby.” she said and hugged him tightly. “You can’t spend time with him, he is crazy.”

Mingyu patted her back and smiled to the ceiling. And to think that it hadn’t even been an hour since Wonwoo was calling _him_ crazy.

“Will this keep happening? If something like this ever happens again, will he come to you?” his mother asked worriedly.

“I don’t know mom. But don’t you think it was the right thing to do?” he pulled back to look at her. “I mean, even someone like Wonwoo needs help sometimes. Would it have better to shut the door on his face?”

“…I don’t know, okay? All I know is that I don’t want you near him. Please Mingyu, if he ever comes to you again, either ignore him or tell him that you don’t want anything to do with him okay? Promise me Mingyu.” she said intensely.

Mingyu sighed. Blind and deaf, every last one of them. His mother had seen Wonwoo on the verge of tears, yet she still spoke of him as if he was a monster. A witch. He patted his mother’s shoulder and smiled at her.

“I promise you.” he said. He didn’t feel as guilty as before about lying to her.

“Good. If this keeps up, I will have no choice but to tell your father. And you know he won’t tolerate it.” she said seriously.

There it was, the subtle threat. Mingyu needed to keep in his mind that now matter how much he loved his mother and she loved him back, she wasn’t on his side. She was his father’s wife before she was his mother, that’s how it had always been. That’s why he didn’t want her to know anything from the beginning.

The only one who had always been on his side throughout a childhood with his parents on the opposite side, was Minghao. Mingyu might have briefly found the strength needed to talk to him, but in the end, he couldn’t face his parents without him.

His mother leaned up to kiss his forehead and bid him goodnight. Mingyu didn’t end things the way he wanted to. He had gotten carried away, he had tried, even if it was only for a second, to get his mother to see the truth about Wonwoo. He should have known that it would backfire.

Now he had to be extra careful.

~~~

“I’m going hunting.” Mingyu announced to his mother a couple of days later.

The sun had barely risen on the horizon. Even if Mingyu’s father had already left for work and his mother was dressed to go to the fields, it was still unreasonably early to go hunt at the forest. Most of the animals he would be after had probably not even woke up yet. There might even still be wolves who hadn’t gotten back to their pack after a night of chasing prey.

In conclusion, it wasn’t a proper time to go hunting. But Mingyu knew that if it got any later and he spent more time thinking about it, he would probably chicken out of it. It was the first time he was going to attempt hunting completely on his own.

He had no choice though. Minghao hadn’t come to talk to him yet. After their episode in front of his house, Minghao was actively avoiding him. That was quite unusual for him. Minghao was always direct when he had a problem to solve. He knew that he would have nothing to gain by beating around the bush. But this time, every time he saw Mingyu on the fields he changed direction. It was bizarre.

Mingyu wanted to think positively and assume that his words had gotten to him somewhat. He probably needed a bit of time to think about what had happened and then maybe, Mingyu could finally get his apology. Most importantly, he just hoped to get his friend back.

Minghao was either thinking about what had happened or had completely given up on him. Mingyu didn’t even want to think about the second option.

“Hunting? Now?” Mingyu’s mother was obviously suspicious.

She hadn’t been quite the same ever since the night Wonwoo came to his house. She had kept her silence as promised, but Mingyu could see that she was on edge every time he left the house. Ironically, the only thing that saved him from being followed around was that she thought he was meeting with Nayoung. Mingyu was thankful that she was keeping her promise not to interfere with that.

“Yeah, now. I need to clear my head.” Mingyu said, throwing his quiver over his shoulder.

The prime reason Mingyu wanted to go hunting today was to finally test out Wonwoo’s arrows in real action. In target practice, they had proven to be the most excellent arrows Mingyu had the luck to ever acquire. They flew straight to their point, and Mingyu had improved his aim so much when he used them, that even his father had commended on it from afar.

“Be careful then. And be back soon.” his mother said and turned back to her task.

And so, Mingyu was off.

The market stalls were in the process of opening up. Sleepy men and women were going through their everyday motions by uncovering the counters and setting up their products. Mingyu saw some the girls’ parents helping to set up the new fabrics they had gotten from the big town the day before. Thankfully, the girls themselves weren’t here yet. Mingyu sped past their stall and continued ahead.

When he exited the village, his eyes inevitably fell on the path that led to Wonwoo’s house. Mingyu slowed down. A part of him felt tempted to go down that road and knock on Wonwoo’s door, see if he was up for hunting. That’s what he would have done if Wonwoo’s life was normal and they were actual friends.

For some reason, Mingyu hadn’t been able stop thinking about that scenario. He fell asleep and woke up with thoughts about how different everything would have been if he could casually go up and talk to Wonwoo like any other person. He wouldn’t have to lie to his mother, he probably wouldn’t be fighting with Minghao either. Mingyu even dreamt about it once. Sometimes, it was a little unsettling how much he craved it.

He took a hesitant step towards the path’s direction, but he stopped. Did Wonwoo even hunt? Did he even own a bow and arrows? He must, because he had all this dry meat he was always feeding his cats, and Mingyu knew he wasn’t buying it from the market. Still, Mingyu decided against going to him. Maybe another time.

For now, he started walking towards the little pond he always started his hunting outings with. It was tradition at this point. The sun was slowly starting to rise above the trees, painting the world below in a light pink hue. The few rays that managed to get below the thick branches of the trees were starting to illuminate the small details of the ground. Mingyu saw holes in some tree trunks, and he briefly wondered if any squirrels lived in there. Would it be worth it to catch some of them?

They didn’t have a lot of meat, but they were great targets to prove how much his aim had improved. He took a step closer. There were birds chirping in the distance, only now waking up from the deep night, blissfully unaware of what Mingyu was trying to do. He pulled an arrow to arm his bow, just to be ready if he saw any of the little animals running around.

Before he could take an actual look in the holes, images of little squirrels running around his fingers as he fed them seeds came to his mind.

_“Are they not afraid?”_

_“I don’t know, they must have gotten used to me feeding them every day.”_

Mingyu sighed. Those squirrels had faith in him not to hurt them back then. Mingyu knew that even if there were any of the small animals here, they would definitely not be the same as those in Wonwoo’s backyard, but still. Mingyu felt like he was betraying some kind of trust if he hunted their kind now.

Wonwoo probably wouldn’t be hunting them either.

Squirrels didn’t have a lot of meat anyway. If he wanted to prove his aim had improved, all he had to do was throw an apple to the air in front of his father and shoot it before it fell to the ground, or something similar. There was no need to hurt the animals for no reason.

He lowered his bow and continued on his path towards the lake. He had never visited it so early in the morning. When Mingyu finally pushed the last bushes out of the way, he smiled peacefully at the sight in front of him. The lake was beautiful. Its calm water was almost purple underneath the morning sky and as clear as a crystal. Mingyu could see a few stray fishes swimming underneath its surface, that’s how transparent it was. The long branches of an old tree at its bank, heavy from carrying the weight of smaller branches, bushes, and probably all kind of small animals, had leaned over and its tips were submerged in the water. There was even a patch of mushrooms growing beneath those branches. When the sun was fully up, they were invisible under the shade of the tree, but now that the pink light was enveloping the world like a soft veil, every little thing that was normally hidden could be seen.

If fairies were real, this was the place they would be living. Mingyu sat down on a rock and looked on, thinking about how magic might be real after all. The sight was mesmerizing. He was almost content just staying there and gazing at the beauty this world had to offer, even if there weren’t any animals he could hunt.

He did stay there for at least ten minutes. He leaned his head back on the side of the rock and let his eyes relax as the nature slowly woke up around him.

There had to be a god behind this creation. Mingyu couldn’t believe that everything he was watching had happened at random, that this beauty wasn’t conceived in someone’s consciousness before it existed.

Mingyu believed in the God he had been learning about in the church ever since he was a child. He wanted to believe that there was a man who was all powerful, all knowing and loved all of the humans. But on the other hand, he couldn’t help but think that his father’s religion seemed too strict to allow something as beautiful as this lake to be made.

Creation needed freedom and imagination. If that was what God had in order to make this art, then why were his followers supposed to be constricting themselves in so may ways? All this fasting, the mandatory praying and hymns, the fear of punishment if they did something. All these were man made. How did his father, the priests and everyone else knew that this was what God truly wanted?

Mingyu had been told all his life to not question his faith. But how could he when what he has been taught seemed like they had nothing to do with the true beauty he saw on this world? Mingyu kept saying that everyone in his village was blind. He had yelled at Minghao to open his eyes. If Mingyu wanted to be consistent with himself, he needed to keep his eyes open to the truth as well, no matter how much it might unsettle a seemingly solid inner peace that was actually forced and fake.

And the truth was that this lake he saw in front of his eyes, and every other lake like this in the world, couldn’t have been created by someone who wanted to rule over the humans with fear. Mingyu didn’t know why religion had turned faith into that.

As quietly as he could, he got up from his rock. He had seen enough. His initial purpose of this hunting outing was to clear his head. He supposed he had managed to do that. After all, fresh thoughts like the ones he just had wouldn’t have been able to manifest in him if the old ones were still rotting in there.

Mingyu went around the lake and continued his way upwards. If he kept on this trail for long, he would reach a dry, rocky area of the mountain. There wouldn’t be any animals worth killing there, so he had to turn around.

He walked for quite a while, until he almost reached the village again. He was close, but he had climbed higher, closer to the peak of the mountain. He knew the closer he got to the top, he had a chance of finding wild goats. They loved to climb the steep, rocky sides that seemed to be everywhere the higher up they went.

Mingyu was just reaching one of those sides. It was a dead end for him, he couldn’t climb that with his bare hands, he would have to turn back around. But as luck had it, there was a goat at the bottom of the cliff. It was only now starting to climb the steep wall and it was vulnerable. Mingyu hid behind a bush and drew his bow quickly. This was his chance. Even if the goat noticed him, it wouldn’t be able to move in time on those rocks.

He drew the string back and aimed. Eagle feathered arrows were really something else. If Mingyu was lucky, this would be a killing shot. He raised his elbow a bit and he was just about to shoot.

“You never learn, do you?” a deep voice suddenly said behind him, and Mingyu jumped in surprise. He released the arrow but it missed its mark completely. The goat bleated in fear as the arrow hit the rocks near it, and it started climbing the cliff quicker.

“Come on, I had it!” Mingyu turned to look at Wonwoo standing behind him.

Wonwoo simply crouched next to him and pointed upwards. “Look up there.” he said.

Mingyu followed the line of his finger. At the top of the cliff, standing at the very edge of it and anxiously looking down, there were two baby goats. At the distressed sound their mother had made, they started bleating back, their sounds higher pitched and easy to miss.

Mingyu held his bow to his chest and bit his lip. He hadn’t seen them. He was just about to kill a mother. He looked at Wonwoo with eyes full of guilt. “I didn’t know.” he said.

“I know you didn’t.” Wonwoo said sympathetically. “Sometimes, it is important to open our eyes wide and take full notice of our surrounding before we make a drastic move.” he said, lowering Mingyu’s bow to the ground.

Mingyu nodded vigorously. To think that he had only been thinking about how important it was to open your eyes and see what was really happening around you. Mingyu still needed a lot of practice if he ever wanted to stop calling himself blind.

“What are you doing here?” Mingyu asked Wonwoo.

“I came to pick up thyme. It grows a lot around here.” Wonwoo said, lifting a bag of the herb tied to his waist.

“So early?” Mingyu wondered.

“Yeah, this light is the best to see where it grows.” Wonwoo explained. “Why are _you_ hunting so early?” he asked back.

“I uhh…” Mingyu didn’t have a solid reason. “I’m airing my brain, I guess? And I wanted to try out your arrows.” he said, pointing to his quiver.

“Oh!” Wonwoo said, as if he only now noticed that these were the arrows he had given him. “Are they working fine?”

“Yeah they do. I haven’t really tried them in action, but when I practiced at home-“

“Can I try them?” Wonwoo asked, eyes sparkling.

“Uhh sure.” Mingyu said and hesitantly handed his bow over to the other. “Do you know archery?”

“More or less.” Wonwoo immediately stood up and grabbed an arrow from Mingyu’s back.

He aimed towards the forest, with his back on the cliff. His stance was fine, and his hands were steady. Someone had obviously taught him how to shoot arrows before. Mingyu watched in anticipation as he found a target and shot.

The arrow hit a tree trunk a few meters away with a thud.

“You did it!” Mingyu said and got up. “Do you usually go hunting?” he asked curiously.

“I somehow have to feed the cats.” Wonwoo said, confirming Mingyu’s suspicions.

He handed the bow back to Mingyu and went to fetch the arrow. Mingyu watched him jump over the uneven ground gracefully and he wondered if Wonwoo had had the chance to map out this forest in the three years he had been living here. It had taken Mingyu his entire childhood to move around it freely.

Mingyu kept his eyes on him as he forcefully pulled the arrow out of the tree. It had been deeply embedded in the wood. Wonwoo was a good shot. Maybe not better than Minghao, but it was enough. When Wonwoo returned to him, the question was out of his mouth before he could even think about it.

“Do you want to come hunting with me?”

Wonwoo looked at him curiously. “Now?” he asked and glanced around him. “I don’t have my bow.”

“Here.” Mingyu handed him his own, along with the quiver with the arrows. “Now you have one.”

“What about you?” Wonwoo smiled, like he was amused at the action.

“I can just follow you and help.” Mingyu shrugged. “I… want to see you.” he admitted, biting the inside of his cheek.

“Okay.” Wonwoo agreed easily, without any more questions.

 _He wants to be seen,_ a voice inside of Mingyu said. He felt his heart clenching at the thought, but he was also thankful that Wonwoo didn’t question him further. Mingyu didn’t know how to say that he wanted to watch him hunt to feed that fantasy of his, that Wonwoo was living in the village with him and they were friends, without sounding creepy. Maybe he couldn’t go hunting with Wonwoo regularly, but if he had a chance to do it even once, he would take it.

Wonwoo wore the bow above his head and motioned at Mingyu to follow him back to the woods. Mingyu bit back an excited smile. He was getting pumped about this. He followed Wonwoo between the trees with an inexplicable giddiness.

They weren’t talking as they searched around for animals. They had to be as quiet as possible to not scare their potential prey away. Wonwoo was always silent in the village, his weak presence barely noticeable in the pandemonium of the market, but here in the forest it was as if he wasn’t even present.

He walked softly, stepping mostly on rocks to no disturb even the plants that grew on the ground. He touched the trees as he passed by them, and he never lost his balance or made sudden movements. Mingyu tried his best to mimic him, but he knew that despite trying his best, he made more sound than him. It felt like even his breathing sounded louder than Wonwoo’s.

“Hey, hey, slow down.” Wonwoo abruptly stopped and whispered. Mingyu almost bumped into him, but Wonwoo held his arm before he fell. “See there?” he pointed at a tiny clearing behind the trees.

Mingyu squinted, but he couldn’t make out anything. Wonwoo pulled him closer and pointed towards the right end of a bush. “The horns.” was all he said. Mingyu could practically feel his breath with how close they were standing. But as he focused at where Wonwoo was pointing, he could see it. There was definitely a deer there, even though it was hidden behind the bushes.

“How are you going to shoot at it if you can’t see it’s body?” Mingyu whispered back.

“We need to make it move…” Wonwoo said contemplatively. He drew Mingyu’s bow and placed an arrow on it, eyes not leaving the animal’s horns.

Mingyu watched him as he stood up a little higher, aiming a little to the right from where the horns were protruding. That wasn’t a good aim. It was nowhere near the deer’s body. It would only be scared away if Wonwoo shot at the open air, right above it.

“Wonwoo, wait-“ he tried to say, but Wonwoo shot.

The moment the arrow left his bow, Wonwoo brought his hands to his mouth and whistled loudly. The deer raised its head in alarm. And the arrow hit its neck. The deer bleated in pain and staggered back. Wonwoo quickly pulled another arrow and released it almost immediately. It hit the animal right in the eye and it finally fell down, dead.

Mingyu gaped at him. “How-?”

“It took two hits.” Wonwoo said with pursed lips. “It felt the pain.”

How in the world did he manage to sound disappointed after the stunt he just pulled? Mingyu stood up and looked at him with wide eyes. “It died a lot faster than anything I have managed to kill in the past. What you just did, my father would sell his right foot to be able to do it.” he said.

“I just whistled.” Wonwoo made a face.

“You predicted a deer’s movement and timed its reaction speed. Wonwoo you shot its neck when you had absolutely no vision of it.” Mingyu said awed.

“It still took two shots.” Wonwoo just said bitterly and started walking towards the fallen animal.

Mingyu followed him, still not quite believing he witnessed that. After everything he had seen from Wonwoo, it was his fault to assume that hunting with him was going to be a normal experience.

When Mingyu reached the clearing, Wonwoo was already in the process of removing the arrows and wrapping them with a cloth before placing them back on the quiver. The deer was large. Mingyu hadn’t closed his eyes when the arrows made the hit. He had kept them wide open to admire Wonwoo and because of that, it was the first time he saw what it looked like when an arrow hit the skin of an animal.

It wasn’t a pretty sight. Mingyu wished he could have averted his eyes on time, but he had seen the blood sputter, he had seen the agony and the poor animal’s eyes before it dropped dead.

Mingyu fell on his knees next to it and gently grabbed its front hoof with his left hand, while he used his right one to cross the deer three times. He began muttering a small prayer, thanking it for its sacrifice and apologizing for having killed it to eat it. He prayed for its soul to rest in piece and find happiness next to God. It was the least he could do after terminating its life like that.

He was in the process of saying the Lord’s Prayer when he felt Wonwoo quietly kneeling down next to him. Mingyu paused momentarily. Wonwoo had sat too close. Their arms were brushing together. And he wasn’t saying anything, he was just looking at Mingyu closely, eyes unwavering and contemplative.

Mingyu continued his prayer. He crossed the animal again, wished it well on his journey one last time and leaned over its body to close its eyes. He didn’t say anything for a while, and neither did Wonwoo. A weird atmosphere had surrounded them. Death was not something kind on the soul. It was something unknown and terrifying, that’s how it was always described to Mingyu. He let go of the deer’s hoof and crossed his hands on his lap.

“Do you always pray for them?” came Wonwoo’s voice.

“Whenever I can. Whenever I’m not with my father.” he said quietly.

There was something in Wonwoo’s eyes as he looked at him, something that hadn’t been there before. His lips parted, as if he wanted to say something, but he hesitantly closed them again. He looked at Mingyu like he had at the beginning, like he couldn’t quite believe what he was seeing, but there was something more now.

Admiration.

Mingyu knew that if he looked back at Wonwoo now, his eyes would be the same.

“You’re beautiful.” Wonwoo said. It was spoken like it came straight from his soul, like he didn’t think about it before he worded it, like there had been no filter. “You’re…” he bit his lips when he realized it.

“Don’t look away.” Mingyu simply said. He knew that this would be the point Wonwoo would avert his eyes, try to shield himself again. But Mingyu didn’t want that. Mingyu wanted him to look.

As Wonwoo looked at him with parted lips, Mingyu felt his heart beating faster. It was not because of fear this time, or embarrassment or anything of the like. It was purely because Wonwoo was looking at him and his cheeks were getting pink for some reason, and it made Mingyu’s heart want to jump out of his chest and go to him.

Wonwoo’s hand touched his own chest, as if he was feeling it too. He only then looked away from Mingyu and another disbelieving laugh escaped his lips.

“Now we’re even for all the embarrassing things you said that night.” he coughed a bit.

Mingyu chuckled too. “No way, it’s not the same. I apologized for those things. But you, don’t you dare apologize for that.” he said, elbowing him gently.

“I wasn’t intending to.” Wonwoo mumbled.

And there it was again. That weird thing his heart did after Wonwoo called him beautiful. Mingyu had been called many synonyms of the word. A lot of people called him handsome, Minghao even used to say he got all the pretty features of both his parents. Attractive, appealing, easy on the eye, those were all things he had heard growing up, be it from his mother’s friends or from his own. Mingyu knew he looked good.

But Wonwoo… Wonwoo wasn’t looking at his appearance when he said that. To Mingyu, that meant much more than what he was willing to admit.

“Should we… Should we get back?” he asked.

“We should.” Wonwoo agreed.

They both got up and dusted themselves. Mingyu picked up his bow and arrows too. He looked at the large deer, trying to figure out how he was going to carry it. It was almost too big to lift, especially in the trail downwards, through rocks and trees

“I’ll take the back if you take the front.” Wonwoo offered, as if reading his thoughts.

“No, you shot it, it’s only fair I carry-“

“You’ll have to carry it on your own in the village anyway. Save your strength.” Wonwoo said and leaned down to pick up the deer’s back legs.

“Wait. I’m not taking it, you are!” Mingyu argued, grabbing the animals’ front part.

“No way. You were the one who was hunting, not me.”

“But you shot it!”

“Yeah, but I didn’t pray for it.” Wonwoo said with finality. “It’s yours.”

Mingyu didn’t try to argue further. “Fine, but I’m taking you to your house first.” he said.

“Whatever makes you happy.” Wonwoo rolled his eyes.

Mingyu raised his eyebrows. “Did you just sass me?” he said incredulously.

“…No.” Wonwoo said, averting his eyes again. This time his smile was amused though.

“Didn’t think so, little bird.” Mingyu said with fake threat, making Wonwoo giggle.

They lifted the animal together. It was heavy, even though its weight was shared between them. Mingyu blamed it on the antlers. He never understood why deer need antlers if they never really helped them in defending themselves against their predators.

They didn’t talk on the way back because carrying the deer was quite the strength-absorbing task. Mingyu tripped at least three times on the way to Wonwoo’s house, but he managed to keep walking every time.

What felt like hours later, they arrived at the side of Wonwoo’s house.

“Careful with the trap.” Wonwoo said, right as Mingyu was ready to step on the thin rope. He stumbled in his attempt to walk over it, dragging Wonwoo who was holding the other end of the deer too, but they both managed to avoid hitting it. The meowing of cats could be heard in the distance and Mingyu found that he could separate Anpiel’s meowing from the rest of them.

“Here we are then. Thank you for bringing me home.” Wonwoo said, dropping the dead animal in front of the path the led to the village. 

“Thank you for catching a deer for me.” Mingyu said back.

There were more that Mingyu wanted to thank Wonwoo for. There were a lot more, but he didn’t know how to put them into words. He bended over and lifted the deer over his shoulders instead. He wobbled dangerously as he tried to balance all its weight on his poor back, but he could probably make it home like that.

Wonwoo was looking at him with a strange expression. His face was calm and collected, but at the same time he was staring at Mingyu with too much intensity for it to be natural.

“See you around, then.” he said at Wonwoo through gritted teeth from the effort to stand upright.

Mingyu didn’t manage to take two steps before he felt a hand at the hem of his shirt. Wonwoo didn’t say anything as he tugged it, but somehow Mingyu felt it. _Don’t go._ That was what he had been trying to say with his eyes.

Mingyu was going to return home, have his mother fuss about the huge deer and kiss both his cheeks. Then he was going to wait for his father to eat together and talk to him about his day, as his father shared news from the town and the rest of the village. Mingyu had someone waiting for him at home, and someone to wait for.

Wonwoo had no one.

The meowing of the cursed cats sounded again, and with a deep sigh, Mingyu dropped the deer again.

“Have you fed your little demons yet?” he asked Wonwoo.

Wonwoo quickly pulled his hand back. “N-no…” he said.

“Let’s hurry up and feed them then before they decide to feast on my Mew.” Mingyu said, looking at Wonwoo pointedly

“Your…” Wonwoo repeated, looking up at Mingyu with wide eyes. When he understood what Mingyu was doing, he averted his eyes again. “Yeah.” he said then. “Yeah, let’s feed them.” he nodded vigorously and Mingyu watched with a fond smile as he practically bounced to the front door to unlock it.

“Come in!” Wonwoo called and Mingyu followed him inside.

He wasn’t overly emotional this time, his head wasn’t fuzzy and he wasn’t feeling as high as kite, but the pull towards Wonwoo was still too strong to resist.

~~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback is always appreciated, have a nice day :)


	7. D'un Terrien en détresse

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! 
> 
> This chapter does not have a lot of meanie interactions but it was necessary for the progression of the plot, so bare with me. I hope you still find it interesting.

Mingyu’s Sunday didn’t start very well.

He should have known that something was very wrong when his mother woke him with an over-the-top “Good morning my beautiful sunshine, put your fine clothes and come meet us downstairs”!

He should have definitely realized that something was _extremely_ wrong when he saw Minghao downstairs, sitting in his usual seat on the table next to his father. His face was stiff and he pursed his lips when he saw Mingyu, but he didn’t say anything.

Mingyu usually loved Sundays. As the day of the week dedicated to God, he spent his early morning at church having fun with Minghao and then, they could laze around either in his home or beneath the orange tree at the closed market. His father was home for the day too, so he could spend extra time with him.

On a Sunday, Mingyu’s father had taught him to read. He explained the very basics and then left Mingyu to study on his own. Admittedly, Minghao had pick up reading a whole lot of faster than Mingyu, but at least Mingyu could spell some words without embarrassing himself. The same could not be said for many of his friends.

It was also on a Sunday when his father had given him his first bow and begun teaching him archery. Mingyu had liked that much better than reading, especially because there were more lessons every Sunday, and therefore more time to spend with his beloved father.

How Mingyu loved to make him proud. He had been his role model for many years, no matter how strict he could get. It was only very recently that he had started to question whether he was actually as great a role model as Mingyu had thought when he was younger.

But recently, Mingyu had taken to question everyone around him, so there was nothing abnormal in that.

Whatever the case, today might have been a Sunday, but Mingyu for once wasn’t happy about seeing his father eagerly awaiting his arrival at the table.

“Good morning son.” he said. “Did you sleep well?”

“Quite well.” Mingyu replied uncertainly, his eyes flickering between him and Minghao. “How about you?”

“Quite well myself.” his father smiled.

Mingyu suddenly realized why his father seemed off today. Every Sunday morning, he wore his formal church attire, as that was always the first thing they did in the morning. This Sunday, he was wearing work clothes, the fancier ones too, as if he had an important meeting to prepare for.

And now that he looked closer, Minghao was in similar clothes as well. Minghao hated formal clothes. They always had to be strict, precise and follow a certain etiquette. As someone who made and wore clothes to his whim, there must have been something really important happening if they had forced him in formal wear.

“Mingyu, what did I say about wearing nice clothes?” his mother scolded him as she walked out of the kitchen.

She too was wearing one of her nicer dresses, a light blue with white ribbons on the waist. There was the scent of biscuits coming from the kitchen, which usually would have been quite the pleasant surprise, but today, it only made everything look more abnormal.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know we were expecting the Queen.” Mingyu said, weirded out. He had dressed quite normally, just simple black pants and a white dress shirt. He knew he didn’t look half bad.

“Be polite to your mother young man.” his father said.

“Mingyu go change.” his mother ordered.

“He looks fine like this.” Minghao spoke up, and all eyes turned on him. “It will make a great impression to our guests if he can pull of such a simple attire while still looking so handsome.”

“Hao baby, I don’t think-“

“Wait, wait, I know what’s missing.” Minghao put a hand in the air to stop her. “Get up.” he ordered Mingyu.

Mingyu was too shocked to not obey. It was nearing two weeks without a single word exchanged between them, and now Minghao defended him in front of his parents, like nothing had happened? It wasn’t that Mingyu wasn’t grateful, he was just beyond surprised.

Minghao tucked the front of his long shirt inside his pants and rolled his sleeves just below the elbow. He also opened the top button and fixed his collar.

“There you go.” he said. “You could pass for a prince.” he smiled slightly.

“Thank you.” Mingyu said. “But I have to ask.” he looked past Minghao to his parents who were sitting side by side, admiring them. “What’s the occasion?”

Mingyu’s father sighed. “You do look fine like this Mingyu. Sit down.” he gestured towards Mingyu’s usual seat.

Mingyu sat, and Minghao sat beside him. “Well?” he asked impatiently.

His parents exchanged looks. Mingyu didn’t like this secret communication between them at all, especially now that they had obviously been planning something behind his back.

“My son, you’re already twenty years old.” his father begun. “You are an adult. When your mother and I were your age, she was already pregnant with you.”

Mingyu _really_ didn’t like where this was going.

“We are aware that times are changing, that’s why we haven’t pressured you about this until now. But now, two of your friends are getting married, so it can’t be too early for your generation to begin families of your own. I thought it would be appropriate for the son of the mayor to set an example and settle down as well.” his father said with a smile, like he actually thought Mingyu was going to be happy at the news.

Mingyu’s mouth dropped, but before he could say anything, Minghao gripped his hand tightly under the table and prevented him from saying anything reckless. And even if they hadn’t solved their problems yet, Mingyu held him tightly for support, as if his life depended on it. Minghao was always going to be by his side when it came to their family. It was foolish of Mingyu to doubt that.

“So you want me to get married?” Mingyu said, somehow finding the strength to keep his voice calm.

“I think it would be appropriate, yes.” his father noticed. “And your mother agreed with me.” he said, and Mingyu only then noticed his mother giving him an apologetic smile.

She had promised to give him time. Even though Mingyu had lied to her, she had promised to not tell a soul about his supposed outings with Nayoung. His mother had obviously broken her promise. Mingyu shouldn’t be feeling so betrayed about a broken promise based on lies, but he was. It hurt when you loved someone with all your heart but you still knew you couldn’t trust them.

“My baby, if you start a family and settle down, your life will get in line. There will be no more time to laze around and bring trouble to yourself. You will be less reckless if you have a family to protect.” she carefully picked her words.

 _So this is about Wonwoo,_ Mingyu realized and he felt his heart clenching in his chest. He had been right, his mother couldn’t have let that meeting slide so easily. Mingyu felt worse at this than anything else he had already heard.

He wondered if Minghao realized what had motivated her to get Mingyu in a marriage so quickly. He wondered if knew that this was partly his fault. Right now though, Minghao was his only true support in this, so he had to push his thoughts aside.

“Have you… have you talked to any possible spouse’s parents?” Mingyu asked.

“We have indeed.” his mother took the reigns of the conversation. “This is actually why we’re all here today and not going to church. I’ve called Im Nayoung and her family here to have tea and biscuits so we can get to know each other a bit.” she smiled widely.

“Today?” Mingyu asked with wide eyes.

“In about an hour, actually.” his mother nodded.

“Your mother arranged this very quickly and we didn’t have time to notify you earlier.” his father explained.

 _Right after I told her I was going hunting alone,_ Mingyu noticed bitterly.

“I told your father you had expressed interest in our lovely Nayoung.” his mother continued. _I didn’t mention your outings,_ Mingyu could tell what she was really saying. “We both agreed that it is a great match, so we are giving her a chance first.”

“Let’s hope it works out.” his father said too.

Mingyu didn’t know what to say. It looked like everything had been decided and his opinion was invalid. He was like a chess piece in the board of his life, with someone else moving him around to his whim. At first glance, that someone was his father. He coldly decided what was wrong and what was right, and Mingyu had to act accordingly whether he liked it or not.

His mother hadn’t been any better than him though. She moved more quietly, more stealthily. By getting closer to Mingyu, making him open up to her, she had more material to hold over his head to make him obey her and his father.

This was exactly the nightmare Minghao and Kyulkyung had been talking about. Nobody had believed them when they said things would get harder for them soon after Eunji and Hoseok announced their marriage, but oh, how wrong they had all been.

“Can I go upstairs and change now?” Mingyu said. “I… I kind of want to dress better if it is to meet Nayoung’s family.” he tried to smile.

His mother chuckled delighted. “Of course my dear.” she said knowingly.

“I knew you would take this well Mingyu.” his father said.

_You didn’t leave me a choice._

“In my eyes, you are a true man now. I am proud of you, son.”

Mingyu hated that even after all of this, the words still made him feel a little better. They made a small part of him think that maybe this was the right thing to do, maybe that’s what he truly wanted. He had always thought Nayoung was sweet, hadn’t he? Maybe he truly did want a life where he could wake up next to her long hair, her delicate body and her light voice, in a room full of her dresses she made from work.

Maybe he could get a room that had a huge window on one wall. Maybe they could lie together and look at the night sky below their feet, in a bed full of fluffy pillows. That’s what he truly craved, wasn’t it?

_Wait._

Minghao must have seen the colour suddenly draining from Mingyu’s face because he quickly excused them both and dragged Mingyu upstairs.

“What happened?” he asked when they were safely locked in Mingyu’s room. “You seemed like you were doing fine. What happened in the end?”

Mingyu simply looked out of his window. He couldn’t find the proper words to describe his feeling. It was like his heart was longing for something, something that was really far away and he had no idea how to find.

“Mingyu, are you listening?” Minghao snapped his fingers in front of his eyes to get his attention.

“I don’t want to get married to Nayoung.” Mingyu said, voice small and desperate.

“No shit.” Minghao said, letting out a long sigh. “I rushed here when your parents told me. I won’t let you go through this alone. No matter what.”

That was Minghao’s way of apologizing. Mingyu sighed too. “I missed you so much.” he said.

“I missed you too, idiot.” Minghao said and hugged him tightly. “Idiot, idiot, idiot. Who yells in a public road in the middle of the night? Do you know how many grandmas I had to reassure that it was just an unimportant spat and then send them back to sleep?” Minghao ranted.

Mingyu chuckled bitterly. “I really needed you to listen to me.” he said.

“Well, you’re a huge idiot, but you were partly right.” Minghao admitted. “I shouldn’t have taken it this far.”

“Do you really hate him Hao?” Mingyu asked. He knew he shouldn’t be asking things like those. It didn’t matter what other people thought of Wonwoo, they didn’t know him. But to Mingyu, Minghao was not just “other people”. Minghao was important.

“I don’t hate _him.”_ Minghao sighed deeply. “I hate everything that comes with him.”

Mingyu nodded. He could understand that. Hadn’t he also tried to think about how everything would have been if Wonwoo wasn’t as hated as he was? In a sense, that was exactly what Minghao was saying. Mingyu definitely didn’t hate Wonwoo himself. All the judgement, the lying and the hiding that came with being with him? Mingyu wasn’t sure how he felt about that.

But no matter how Mingyu looked at it, there was not a single he hated about Wonwoo himself.

“I can’t get him out of my head.” he said to Minghao. “I just _can’t._ I think about him at work, while I eat, I even _dream_ about him.” he finally confessed. “I think about him all the time, I _worry_ about him. I think about how it would have been if he was our friend instead of an outcast, if he got to hang with us at the orange tree, and if he came to the clearing with the others at the nights. I _want it_ Minghao, I want it so bad. I don’t know what to do.” he put his head in his hands.

Minghao looked at him with pity throughout the speech. He thankfully wasn’t angry anymore, but Mingyu could tell that he wasn’t happy either. Just the fact that he had stayed and listened though, just the chance he had given Mingyu to unload a huge weight of his chest, was something that Mingyu valued deeply.

“For starters,” Minghao said and placed a hand on Mingyu’s shoulder. “Let’s see what we’re going to do with Nayoung.”

Mingyu took a deep breath and nodded. His problems were piling up and it was getting harder to breathe. But at least he had gotten Minghao back. With Minghao on his side, he always felt a little stronger.

~~~

In the end, Mingyu kept the black pants, but exchanged the white dress shirt for a fancier, green one. He even let Minghao mess with his hair to make him more presentable. He was still dressed simple enough to appear effortless, but the new shirt gave out more of the prince-like charm he was initially going for.

But as he watched Nayoung gracefully fill their family’s teacups with the tea his mother had made, he had to admit that Nayoung probably outshined him a bit with her ladylike manners. She was polite and smiley and had Mingyu’s parents wrapped around her little finger in no time.

“My dear, you’re a guest, you shouldn’t be serving us.” Mingyu’s mother said.

Lies. Mingyu knew that it would have been considered rude if Nayoung, as the potential bride, hadn’t offered to serve.

“Oh no, it’s alright, you did the hard job of making the tea, the least I can do is serve it to you.” Nayoung said politely.

Mingyu didn’t understand why the people in his village kept up with those fake pleasantries. It was expected of Nayoung to act like that, Mingyu knew it, his mother knew it, everyone knew it. Mingyu supposed he should have been thankful that Nayoung acted properly in front of his parents. At least like that, there was no doubt that they weren’t going to reject her as long as Mingyu didn’t.

“And what delicious biscuits, may I add.” Nayoung’s mother continued the conversation. “I’m going to need your recipe.” she told Mingyu’s mother.

“But of course! It used to be mother’s recipe, she would be glad to know that it is getting recognition. Nayoung darling, do you think you will be able to make them?” his mother asked Nayoung with interest.

In other words, _will you be able to cook for Mingyu if you get to marry him?_

“Of course she can!” Nayoung’s mother replied quickly. “My little girl has learned to cook even before working at our shop. As she grew older, she has learned how to manage both.”

Which meant, _we don’t want Nayoung to give up her job if she gets married._

Mingyu made eye contact with Minghao at the opposite side. This was worse than what they had imagined this meeting to be. There were two conversations taking place between them at the same time, with the same words. It was as if they had accidentally stepped into peace negotiations by two nations that were previously on war. Mingyu was actually quite terrified at how his loving mother skillfully gathered information from an equally skillful opponent.

His father was a lot more straightforward.

“So Jeonhyuk, is business going well?” he asked Nayoung’s father.

“Quite well. I imagine it can get even better if our shop has the support of the mayor.” Nayoung’s father nodded with a smile.

“And I’m quite sure my son Minghao would love to help in your shop sometimes.” Mingyu’s father said.

Minghao tried to hide his reaction at those words, but Mingyu noticed him stiffen. He wasn’t sure if it was because his father actually called him son, or because he was genuinely interested at working at the fabric shop and he tried to hide his eagerness. That had been an unexpectedly considerate move Mingyu’s father had made.

“Well, if we’re to become a family, I would love to have him and teach him some things.” Nayoung’s father agreed.

“I’d be honoured.” Minghao nodded politely.

Everything was falling into place so easily, Mingyu had to pinch himself to make sure he was awake. After two hours, both the mothers and the fathers seemed to agree on most things, and they have moved on from calculated talks to genuinely getting to know each other better and enjoying themselves.

Nayoung was quietly sitting next to Mingyu all this time. Both she and Mingyu only spoke up when they were addressed, their words full of formalities and politeness, as it was expected, as it was normal. Mingyu could only steal side glances at her, but she didn’t look his way not even once.

Mingyu felt like he should be apologizing to her for some reason. It was his lies that had gotten her in this situation after all, and she had been nothing but a proper lady throughout the subtle interrogations. She wore her pink dress proudly, her posture impeccable and her manners exemplary. A part of Mingyu knew that if he had to get married, there wasn’t going to be a better option than Nayoung, at least not for his parents.

“Well, I don’t know about you, but I think our children have had enough of our boring conversations.” Nayoung’s mother chuckled at one point.

“Not at all ma’am, we find your company extremely interesting.” Mingyu said with a very wide, very fake smile.

“Huhuhu, so charming. Mingyu dear, you’re so well spoken.” the woman waved her hand in front of her face. “But I think you should take our Nayoung for a walk outside now.” she added.

Before Mingyu could protest, his mother clapped her hands once. “A splendid idea. I’m sure you two have a lot to talk about. If your fathers allow it, of course?” she directed the question towards the men.

Nayoung’s father hummed thoughtfully. He looked at Mingyu intensely, probably judging if he could trust him alone with his daughter. Mingyu gulped at the scrutiny he was suddenly put under. He got nervous for some reason, even if he knew that he had been an example of a proper gentleman throughout the morning. He kept smiling at the man though, even as he started sweating.

The salvation eventually came from his own father. “Don’t worry Jeonhyuk, I’ve raised my son to be respectful. Also, if they are going to get married, they will probably need some privacy.” he said pointedly.

Nayoung’s father sighed. “I guess.” he said and looked at Nayoung fondly. “It’s hard sometimes to realize how our kids have grown.”

“Tell me about it.” Mingyu’s mother sighed. “Mingyu baby go, get some fresh air.” she urged him.

Mingyu didn’t have a choice, and neither did Nayoung. At this point, their parents’ words were law. He swiftly but carefully got up and bowed to Nayoung, extending his hand.

“My lady, will you accompany for walk beneath the sun?” he asked charmingly.

Nayoung finally made eye contact with him, and Mingyu got an idea as to why she had been avoiding his eyes all this time. She blushed as she took his hand, and her words came out more forced than they were supposed to.

“O-of course. My pleasure.” she managed to say.

Mingyu gave her the most genuine smile he had given today. Nayoung was as sweet as ever. She was obviously touched by Mingyu’s gesture to hold her hand like a gentleman and guide her outside. It almost reminded him of another person who had recently been equally touched by Mingyu’s decision to stay with him instead of going home. Mingyu liked that expression.

Mingyu closed the door of his house behind him and turned to Nayoung.

“I’m really sorry for this, I should have asked your permission first before I got my parents to arrange meetings like that.” the words tumbled out of his lips.

“It’s… it’s okay… You know my opinion wouldn’t have mattered much anyway.” she said.

Mingyu frowned. “Still. I apologize.”

“It’s okay Mingyu.” Nayoung smiled at him. “I’m actually really glad you picked me.”

“Shall we get going then? Let’s get to know each other a little better, why don’t we?” Mingyu gestured towards the fields awkwardly.

“Of course. Lead the way.” Nayoung grabbed his arm gently.

The sun was already high up on the sky. Noon was soon, and Mingyu knew he didn’t have a lot of time to talk to Nayoung before he had to return her to her parents. He had thought that he would have so many things to say once they were alone, so many questions to ask to get to know her, but nothing was coming out of his lips now that he had the chance.

“You know, I can’t help but ask… Why did you pick me, Mingyu?” Nayoung broke the silence first.

“Uhh…” Mingyu began uncertainly. He should not hesitate to answer a question like that, it would make Nayoung disappointed in him. He had to pick up his game. “I always thought you were the cutest amongst all the girls. The kindest too.” he decided to go for the truth.

Nayoung giggled. “You think I’m cute?”

Mingyu nodded. He had always thought that Nayoung could be pretty cute. She’d probably look even cuter while petting cats, big, gray and fluffy cats. Probably while wearing oversized shirts too. The feeling Mingyu got at the mental image made him smile faintly.

“And kind…” he repeated to Nayoung. “I like your kindness.”

Nayoung always made sure he was comfortable when he walked pass their stall and had fights with Kyulkyung. She always stood out amongst the other girls.

It wasn’t like she gave him a dozen of eagle arrows when she didn’t even know him, but she was still gentle with him. And she hadn’t caught a deer and then let him have it all to himself, even though she was skinny and she needed to eat more, but Mingyu could still appreciate her.

“I’m glad.” Nayoung said. “I’ve liked you for quite a while…” she admitted in a small voice.

“You did?” Mingyu pretended to be surprise. “How fortunate then.” she held her hand that was laying on his arm.

It wasn’t cold. Her fingers were a lot softer than Mingyu expected too.

“What did you like about me?” he asked.

Nayoung flushed and averted her eyes again. Mingyu realized that was a habit a lot of people seemed to share lately. In Nayoung’s case, she probably averted her eyes to keep her infatuation from showing.

“Hey, don’t be embarrassed.” Mingyu said playfully. “You can’t be so shy anymore, not if we are going to get married.” he nudged her gently.

Nayoung sighed, gathering her courage. “You’re right.” she said. “There’s no reason to not tell you anymore.”

Nayoung was brave too. She probably wouldn’t come to his house in the middle of the night to ask for a favour, especially if she knew his parents hated her guts and she might be risking her life, but admitting her feelings readily like that was still brave.

“I like how friendly you are with people. You smile a lot, and you’re a very pleasant person. You show your love to the people you care about. You go to church every Sunday, and I know that you are someone my parents would approve.” she said. “You’re…” she continued more hesitantly. “You’re pretty handsome too…”

Ah, there it was again. People called Mingyu handsome all the time. It made him kind of proud, he supposed, but… he could still remember how it felt that one time he was called beautiful instead.

Mingyu felt his heart speeding up, just at the thought. He chuckled nervously and aired his rapidly reddening face. “Look what you did, I’m blushing now.” he pretended to scold Nayoung.

“Oh, I’m sorry.” Nayoung pouted at him. “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

Why was she so uncertain of herself? She treaded on eggshells around him, which made no sense because Mingyu had been a perfect gentleman to her every time they met. It wasn’t like Mingyu had ever been scared of her very existence or anything, she had no reason to-

“It’s quite strange though. I never thought you might feel the same about me after all these years. Fate is a funny thing, isn’t it?” Nayoung said.

Fate. Mingyu didn’t know whether fate was a real force in this world. And if it was, Mingyu didn’t think it was fate that brought Nayoung and her family to his doorstep. If he was being honest with himself, he had been expecting to get married to Nayoung for years now. He had always thought it would be the normal, natural turn of events.

Mingyu thought that fate was the power that turned unimaginable events into reality. Maybe what fate did was twist reality to the most absurd of ways and make things that normally would have been too far-fetched to actually happen. Maybe what he really considered as fate was an injured deer with an unpronounceable name running straight to the village’s alleged witch’s house and-

Mingyu stopped on his tracks.

“Everything okay? Why did you stop?” Nayoung asked concerned.

 _No, nothing is okay,_ Mingyu wanted to yell. There was no way he was fine if he had spent his entire, precious time with his future wife comparing her to _Wonwoo._

And what was worse, was that he not only compared her to a person that had absolutely _nothing_ to do with her or her relationship to Mingyu, but he also found her _lacking_ compared to Wonwoo.

Nayoung was cute, but that night Wonwoo had walked with him in the middle of the night with Anpiel perched on his shoulder while wearing Mingyu’s oversized coat, Wonwoo had been cuter. Nayoung was kind, but Wonwoo had been proven heaps kinder to all the people that had treated him like garbage for three years now. Nayoung was brave, but she hadn’t risked her literal life for a wild cat that needed her.

Nayoung called him handsome, but Wonwoo called him beautiful.

“Mingyu?” Nayoung asked again.

“I’m sorry…” Mingyu shook his head, in an attempt to clear it. “Got distracted for a bit.” he smiled sheepishly. “Well, tell me about your life.” he urged Nayoung to continue speaking.

Truthfully, he just wanted her to talk more so he could stop comparing her with anyone. She was a person of her own, and she didn’t deserve to be thought as a lesser version of someone. Even as his mind screamed at him about Wonwoo, Mingyu still managed to pick out guilt from the mass of confused emotions inside him.

“My life…” Nayoung hummed thoughtfully. “It’s simple, really. I wake up and get dressed up for the shop. It is of utmost important to look good for our customers, that’s what my father always says. After that, I meet up with my friends and we go to work together. You’ve seen me a lot there.” she smiled at Mingyu. “When I return home I help my mother with whatever chores she has left, we eat, and then I go to sleep.” she finished.

“Sounds…” Mingyu begun.

 _Horrible, normal, boring, repetitive, uninteresting. Sounds like our future together._ The thought entered Mingyu’s mind viciously, before he could stop it. And like a dam has opened, he suddenly thought about water pipes, about multi coloured liquid medicine, about treating injured animals, about knitting cat cloths. He thought about how he could probably write a whole book about Wonwoo and the weird things he did, and he hadn’t even seen his whole house yet. He still hadn’t been granted access to the room with heavy locks, which was bound to be the most interesting room of that strange house of his.

And here was Nayoung talking about looking pretty with her friends for her customers. What was Mingyu even doing here?

“Sounds lovely.” he said in the end.

“It’s quite fun. I like working at the market.” Nayoung looked proud of herself. “And all the girls are so nice.”

Mingyu couldn’t help but make a face at this. Nayoung noticed and she chuckled lightly.

“I know you don’t really like Kyulkyung. But she takes care of us well.” she said. “Will you please give her another chance?” she asked.

_No._

“For me?” she fluttered her eyelids cutely and Mingyu groaned.

He hadn’t even given Kyulkyung a second chance for _Minghao,_ why would he do so for Nayoung?

“I don’t think I can, I’m sorry.” he said politely.

“Oh.” Nayoung said surprised. She hadn’t expected that answer. She must have thought that Mingyu was going to be a perfect gentleman like always and indulge her.

Mingyu felt a wicked satisfaction to have proven her wrong.

“Okay then…” Nayoung trailed off, along with the rest of their conversation.

They walked silently from then on. With every step Mingyu took, he felt more and more guilty for not playing the part of the loving future husband Nayoung obviously wanted him to, but at the same time, he felt that if he attempted to even try and say empty pleasantries at that moment, he would choke.

Nayoung didn’t deserve any of this. She was a sweet girl who clearly liked Mingyu. It should be fortunate that Mingyu found someone like that to possibly spent his life with. He repeated those words in his head so many times, trying to convince himself to snap out of whatever self-righteous mood he had gotten into.

“I’m sorry I got you mad…” Nayoung decided to break the silence a little before they reached home. “I won’t talk to you about Kyulkyung ever again.” she said.

She thought that Kyulkyung was the reason Mingyu was acting strange. It was another one of the many indirect lies that Mingyu was going to let pass.

“I’m really sorry.” Nayoung insisted when Mingyu didn’t reply. “I know you usually aren’t like this…”

Those last words hit Mingyu like daggers, and for all the wrong reasons. He should be feeling bad that he made Nayoung, sweet, innocent Nayoung feel so guilty about his own issues. But instead, all he could feel was an emptiness.

Nayoung didn’t know him. How could she judge how he usually was when the only times she had ever seen him was when he put on his charming façade to talk to the girls? Mingyu didn’t expect her to know every little detail about him at once of course, but he felt peeved that she assumed she knew him instead of trying to get to know who he really was.

Nayoung didn’t really like _him,_ did she? She only liked who she thought he was.

Nayoung only called him handsome. Mingyu was never going to be beautiful to her.

“It’s me who should apologize.” Mingyu told her with a sigh. “I shouldn’t be bothered by things like that.”

Nayoung smiled at him relieved. “It’s okay. I should watch my mouth.”

 _No, that’s not the point at all,_ Mingyu thought desperately. He didn’t want to fall in love with Nayoung’s sweet façade, no matter how appealing it was.

He had wanted to get to know the real her, he really had. Now, he wasn’t so sure he wanted that anymore.

“Let’s go inside.” Mingyu forced his voice to sound pleasant. “I had a fun time.”

“Me too.” Nayoung nodded. “Our parents will be glad.”

Mingyu opened the door and let Nayoung step in first, like it was proper. Their parents were still in the living room, along with Minghao. As they exchanged greetings with Nayoung, Mingyu looked at Minghao desperately, trying to communicate how exhausted he felt.

He couldn’t do this. With or without Minghao, he couldn’t do this, not with Nayoung, not with any girl. He didn’t want to grow old with someone who didn’t care about him, with someone who didn’t think he was beautiful.

The hearty goodbyes with Nayoung’s family went too fast for Mingyu to process. They all left with wide smiles, which Mingyu was pretty sure he mirrored. When they were gone, Minghao quickly excused himself and Mingyu and pulled him up to his room. Mingyu plopped on his pillow head-first and groaned loudly, even before Minghao could lock the door.

He was just so tired.

~~~

“So, son, did you enjoy your walk with Nayoung?” Mingyu’s father asked from his usual seat on the table, opposite of Mingyu.

Mingyu had spent his entire afternoon locked in his room with Minghao, making up for all the time they had lost these past few weeks. Minghao’s presence had always made him feel stronger, and even if now he wasn’t Mingyu’s only source of strength, he still managed to fill Mingyu with courage. With Minghao on his side, Mingyu didn’t feel like he was left alone to deal with the world.

It was dinnertime now, and even if Mingyu hadn’t managed to speak with Minghao about Wonwoo, he was still grateful for all the support he was showing about his impending marriage.

“I should be asking you this. What did you think of her family?” Mingyu replied to his father.

“Lovely people.” his mother interjected. “They’re well-spoken and know where their interests lie. It wouldn’t have been good if they were only full of compliments and had no opinion of their own for this marriage.” she said.

“I agree.” his father nodded. “They are a serious family. A connection with them would benefit us both.”

Mingyu’s eyes trailed to the cloth with the Last Supper. Jesus knew that he was walking straight to a trap that night. He let Judas betray him, he let himself get caught and crucified, just because he knew that what followed was in everyone’s interest.

“So tell us baby. Was your talk with Nayoung to your liking?” Mingyu’s mother said.

Mingyu felt like he was walking in a trap himself. He knew his parents wanted to tie him down with Nayoung, even if it was against his will. He knew his mother wanted to take away any freedom he had to make reckless decisions, like keep meeting with Wonwoo. He knew all those, yet he was still eating together with them, allowing everything to happen.

It would be in everyone’s interest if he got married to Nayoung without any complaints. If Jesus was brave enough to die for humanity, then Mingyu should be able to marry a girl for his family. It was the right thing to do.

Alas, Mingyu didn’t think he could ever be as selfless as Jesus.

“Actually,” he said, wiping the corner of his lips clean with a napkin, “we had… a small argument.” he said.

“Oh?” his mother asked surprised.

“Yeah, I’m afraid I had misjudged her all this time…” Mingyu said with pursed lips.

“But she is a lovely girl Mingyu, we saw her ourselves. Don’t be absurd, she is a fine choice and you should-“ his mother began ranting, but her father put a hand up and silenced her.

“Is that going to be a problem for you?” he asked seriously.

Mingyu didn’t reply immediately. He was uncertain about what words to use.

“While both your mother and I approve of this marriage, it is still early to force you to agree with it. There are more girls in the village we can arrange to meet.” his father added.

Mingyu knew that this wasn’t a permanent solution to his problem, but it gave him time. He knew that he might not find a girl as nice as Nayoung if he rejected her now, but the need to run away from marriage, even briefly, was overpowering.

“I… would like that…” he said quietly.

“But why?” his mother all but yelled. “After all this trouble too! Mingyu you can’t be serious, you looked like you really liked each other! Even if she isn’t perfect, is there something so wrong with her that you can’t tolerate? I find it hard to believe!”

Mingyu sneaked another glance at the Last Supper cloth. He felt the judgement of his mother combining with the silent stares of Jesus and his twelve disciples weighing down on him heavily. He was selfish and he was failing to do what was expected of him. He was running away, and he was hurting Nayoung too in the process of doing so. Mingyu felt disgusted at his weak self.

“I’m sorry…” he apologized, but the words felt sour on his mouth. He wasn’t worthy enough to ask for forgiveness.

His mother huffed and got up from the table. She wasn’t pleased at all with how everything turned out. She walked around the living room, deep in thought, before she turned back to the table. “Just tell us a reason.” she said. “Why do you seem to suddenly hate her so much?”

“I-I don’t hate her!” Mingyu complained. “She’s a fine girl, just… not for me. I realize that now.”

 _She’s boring,_ was what Mingyu meant to say. _She’s plain and normal._ He knew that a person like that would be the ideal bride for his parents, but Mingyu couldn’t bring himself to agree anymore. Not now that he got a small taste of someone that took glimpses of a different world, breathed a different air.

“I would like someone with more… personality.” he said it as politely as he could.

His father hummed in understanding. “You take after your father.” he said fondly. “That’s why I married the most feisty girl I could find back then.” he placed a hand on his mother’s waist.

“Darling, stop.” Mingyu’s mother rolled her eyes, trying to hide a small smile. “Im Nayoung was the perfect bride. Do you have in mind any other proper girl with a _personality?_ ” she said the last word full of sarcasm.

“Now that you mention it…” his father rubbed his chin in thought. “There is a girl that works at the fabrics stall that yells out the most to attract people. She looks like a girl with opinions. That black haired one, what was her name? Kyulkyung?”

Mingyu choked on his saliva. He began coughing hard, and Minghao patted his back while trying to stop himself from laughing out loud.

“Here, baby.” Mingyu’s mother handed him a glass of water. Mingyu looked at her thankfully and downed it immediately.

“Joo Kyulkyung?” his mother asked. “I know her mother. We purchase lemons from the same stall.”

Mingyu was so shocked, he couldn’t even bring himself to argue with them. Thankfully, Minghao was on his side.

“I don’t think that would a good idea.” he spoke the words Mingyu so desperately wanted to say himself.

“Why not?” his father frowned.

“Mingyu doesn’t get along very well with her.” Minghao explained.

 _That was a nice way to put it,_ Mingyu thought. He trembled even at the idea of getting married to Kyulkyung.

“That’s nonsense.” Mingyu’s mother interjected. “What do you mean they don’t along. They don’t know each other.”

If only she knew how Kyulkyung was one of the only two girls that went out with the boys at night, she would quickly change her opinion about her. Mingyu toyed with the idea of informing her of that little fact, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. It would most likely reach the ears of Kyulkyung’s parents, and Mingyu wasn’t that much of a douche to willingly get her in trouble.

Besides, Minghao had his back. “Mother, I insist. Trust me, this is not a good idea.” he said.

“Why do you sound so certain about this? Does Kyulkyung perhaps like someone else?” Mingyu’s mother said with raised eyebrows.

“What do you mean?” Minghao asked.

“All I’m saying is that I have two boys to find brides for. I would appreciate it if you told me about your preferences as well.” she said pointedly.

“W-what?” Minghao stuttered. “No, no, no, I’m fine.” he hurried to reassure her.

“Minghao, if you like Kyulkyung, it is not something to be ashamed of.” Mingyu’s father said.

Minghao looked at him with wide eyes. “I-I…” he tried to say.

“Oh, so you do?” his mother smiled knowingly.

“No!” Minghao said intensely. “No, not like that. We’re friends.”

“Nonsense.” his mother waved him off. “I’ve said it to Mingyu before, and I’ll say it again. You can trust us with those things. We only want the best for you.”

Minghao closed his eyes for a second to collect himself. Mingyu could practically see the wheels in his brain turning to try and find a proper reply that would get him off trouble.

“I wish to become more stable financially before I pull another person under my care.” he said in the end. “My parents didn’t leave me much to inherit, and if I am to take care of a wife and children, I would like to do it properly.”

“Oh, my baby.” Mingyu’s mother left her seat again and pulled Minghao in a hug. “You have _our_ financial support darling, you’re not alone.” she told him. “Right?” she turned to her husband with a pointed look.

Mingyu’s father crossed his hands in front of himself. “Maybe he isn’t wrong.” he said contemplatively. “After we pass, Mingyu will be able to live comfortably with the fields and the animals.”

In other words, Minghao wasn’t going to inherit anything from him. Mingyu was disappointed, but not surprised.

“But until then, Minghao you will have our financial support to find a stable source of income of your own. I agree with you. Work first, family second.” Mingyu’s father continued.

“Like you taught us.” Minghao nodded.

Mingyu’s mother sighed. Mingyu was certain that if it was up to her, she would have divided their properties equally amongst both her children. But it wasn’t like Mingyu was going to abandon Minghao when his parents passed. He was still going to support him as much as he needed.

At least Minghao had managed to both get out of marriage for at least a few years _and_ change the subject of conversation about Mingyu’s future wife. Minghao had a way with words that Mingyu could only admire from afar. No matter how much he babbled, his words rarely had the impact Minghao’s had in important conversations like this one.

They were done with the dinner after that, and after Minghao helped Mingyu’s mother with the dishes, he went back to his home. Mingyu excused himself and went to bed as well. He didn’t want to stay alone with his parents for long.

For some reason, he decided to leave the curtains of his small window open that night, even though the sun would wake him up early the next morning. He hugged a pillow to his chest and stared at the sky outside. There was a thick layer of clouds above the mountain and neither the stars nor the moon were visible. Mingyu still gazed at the dark gray clouds absent-mindedly. It looked like a sad blanket was draped over their village that night. Mingyu didn’t think he was that important to the universe for it to paint the night sky with his feelings, but he thought that it was quite fitting. Mingyu felt like he was wrapped in a gray, sad blanket himself, unable to poke his head out of it and take a breath of fresh air.

He briefly wondered if Wonwoo was looking at the same sky from that large window of his at the moment. He wondered if he was feeling as suffocated as Mingyu. Maybe Wonwoo didn’t have to worry about family issues and marriage, but part of Mingyu wished he did. Mingyu wished Wonwoo was burdened from the same issues he was, so he could stop being burdened from the issues he had now. They were so much heavier than Mingyu’s. He wished that he could casually go to his house now, to look at the grim sky and laugh at their misery together.

As sleep began to claim him, Mingyu imagined what it might look like above the clouds. The stars were always there, always pretty and bright. Even if Mingyu couldn’t see them now, he could imagine them. He could imagine how it would be like if he didn’t have to obey his parents’ wishes, if Wonwoo didn’t live so far away from him. He could imagine going for a walk with him amongst all the people of the village, amongst all the bright colours of the market. They would be walking closely, whispering amongst themselves private jokes and stories, they would laugh together carelessly and happily.

They sky was dark outside, but Mingyu felt like he was falling asleep while looking at the stars.

~~~

_“Are you still not done with the animals?” Mingyu whined in Minghao’s ear._

_“Not yet.” Minghao replied, dipping his shovel deep in the feces of the donkeys._

_“Come ooon hurry up!” Mingyu kept whining._

_“You think I’m enjoying this?” Minghao huffed and kicked him off the stool he was sitting._

_Mingyu yelped but managed to catch himself before he fell to the dirty ground. The floor of the barn was the last place he would want to hit face-first. He threw an ugly look at Minghao, but his friend just chuckled unapologetically._

_“Fine, be that way.” Mingyu crossed his hands on his chest. “I’ll go find Wonwoo and we’ll go to the market without you.”_

_“Bold of you to assume Wonwoo will be awake at this hour. It’s his day off.” Minghao snickered._

_Mingyu pretended he wasn’t listening. He turned to leave without saying goodbye. Before he closed the door behind him, he looked at Minghao one last time. “Come find us at the orange tree when you’re done!” he called, and slammed the door shut._

_He hurried to the road that led to the market. Minghao was right, there were slim to none chances Wonwoo was awake when he had a day off, but Mingyu still headed to his house, a few roads before the playground. So what if he wasn’t awake? Mingyu would have the pleasure of watching his grumpy ass get dressed and drag him out of his house to socialize. That never failed to amuse Mingyu._

_He reached the white house and climbed the small staircase to the door two steps at a time. He knocked on the door loudly and impatiently, so Wonwoo wouldn’t have the excuse that he didn’t hear him if he didn’t open up._

_Mingyu kept knocking for a good five minutes before he heard noise from the living room. He kept knocking obnoxiously, even as he heard footsteps approaching the wooden door._

_“Who?” Wonwoo’s deep voice sounded from inside, still hoarse from sleeping. He sounded grumpy already. He probably knew exactly who it was._

_“It’s me, the most handsome man you’ll ever meet!” Mingyu called._

_The door creaked open, and a sleepy Wonwoo appeared from inside. His hair was a mess and he was barefoot. He pointedly looked at Mingyu and then behind him, pretending to look for something._

_“Where is he, I don’t see him?” he said lifelessly._

_“Hey!” Mingyu said and pushed himself inside Wonwoo’s house. “Why are you still sleeping? It’s your day off, let’s go out and have fun!”_

_Wonwoo closed the door again with an expressionless face and looked at Mingyu with dead eyes. “No?” he tried to say._

_“You know you don’t have a choice.” Mingyu smiled sweetly at him. “Get dressed!” he clapped his hands to startle him awake._

_Wonwoo groaned as Mingyu pulled him to his wardrobe and threw some clothes at his face. “You have five minutes to get ready, or I’ll dress you up myself.” Mingyu threatened before he turned around to give Wonwoo a little privacy._

_At this point, Wonwoo was way past arguing with Mingyu when he came to drag him out of his house. He was used to it, and he knew Mingyu was really going to wrestle him out of his sleepwear and into fresh clothes if he didn’t do it himself. In only two minutes he tapped Mingyu’s shoulder to show that he was ready, and Mingyu beamed at him._

_He made Wonwoo sit on the couch as he put his shoes on for him. Everyone always babied Wonwoo, he just had this kind of aura that screamed “take care of me”. He was a precious ally to have in the market, because you could bet that at least one grandma was going to offer him fruit or sweets, and Wonwoo always shared._

_“I want pie for breakfast.” Wonwoo yawned._

_“It’s almost noon, what breakfast?” Mingyu chuckled._

_“With the violent way you woke me up, the least you could do is buy me pie.” Wonwoo mumbled, averting his eyes._

_Mingyu pulled him to his feet and hugged him tightly. Wonwoo was still too dazed from sleep, so he didn’t fight it like he normally would have. The truth was, Mingyu wanted to buy all the pies in the village for him, hell, he even wanted to bake one for him. But…_

_“I don’t have any money.” he confessed._

_Wonwoo sighed and let his head rest on Mingyu’s shoulder. “Fine.” he said. “I’ll buy the pie, but you’ll eat it with me.”_

_“Deal!” Mingyu said happily. “Come on, I saw lady Sooyoung baking an apple pie as I was coming, let’s buy it fresh!”_

_He grabbed Wonwoo’s hand and led him outside. The more Wonwoo walked, the more energy he regained. By the time they reached the market, he completely let go of Mingyu and stretched his hands above himself. Mingyu stopped walking to give him time to properly take in his surroundings._

_“It’s actually a nice day.” Wonwoo said._

_“And you were going to miss it by sleeping through it.” Mingyu elbowed him lightly._

_“My bed is nice too.” Wonwoo shrugged. “Come on, I’m hungry.” he reassumed walking and Mingyu hurried behind him._

_The market was lively as always. Heechul was strolling around with lady Hani after their official engagement in matching orange hats. Little Jaemin was playing with a dog in the mud, and Mingyu bet his mother would have a fit if she saw the state his clothes were in. A few meters away, there was the orange tree, standing taller and greener than ever. It was as if a cool, welcoming breeze was radiating from it, calling Mingyu’s name to come and sit at its roots._

_Apparently, it wasn’t calling Wonwoo’s name as well, because he didn’t even glance at it before he made a bee line to lady Sooyoung’s stall._

_“Good morning.” Wonwoo waved at her with a slight smile._

_“Why, good morning!” she smiled at him warmly. “How’s my best costumer doing today?”_

_“He’s barely awake.” Mingyu came to stand behind him with a chuckle. “His eyes weren’t even open, but he was still asking for pie.” he rolled his eyes fondly._

_Lady Sooyoung chuckled. “As expected of our little Wonwoo.”_

_“I’m 21 already…” Wonwoo murmured._

_“But you’re still my number favourite customer.” she leaned over and shuffled his hair. “Let me tell you a secret.” she said, motioning both of them to lean closer. “I knew today was Wonu’s day off, so I made something special.” she said and reached below her small oven._

_She took out a pan with a pie in it. It looked as delicious as any of them, all golden and crispy. Mingyu didn’t miss the loving look Wonwoo sent its way._

_“Do you know what flavour it is?” lady Sooyoung asked with sparkly eyes._

_Both Mingyu and Wonwoo shook their heads._

_“It’s pomegranate!” she announced proudly._

_“What? Really?” Wonwoo’s eye widened. Mingyu wanted to laugh again. That was Wonwoo’s favourite fruit, and one of the hardest to come by in their small village. Lady Sooyoung outdid herself._

_“Really, baby.” she said and handed it to him. “I made it just for you.”_

_“You’re so nice, thank you so much.” Wonwoo smiled warmly at her. “How much does it cost?”_

_“Now you’re insulting me.” Lady Sooyoung chuckled. “I won’t charge you for something like this.”_

_“No way!” Wonwoo said. “You worked hard for this, the least I can do is pay you!” he said and handed the pie to Mingyu in search of money in his pockets._

_“You don’t have to.” Lady Sooyoung insisted._

_“I don’t have to, but I want to.” Wonwoo said and fished out a few coins. They were the normal amount the pies usually cost. He handed them over to the middle-aged woman and she took them with a sigh._

_“You’re too kind, love.” she said._

_“If I’m not kind to my fellow villagers, then what’s the point?” Wonwoo shrugged, grabbing the pie back. “Let’s go.” he said to Mingyu._

_“Have fun boys! You’re always welcome here!” Lady Sooyoung waved them goodbye and they waved back._

_Mingyu pushed Wonwoo towards their tree. It had waited long enough. They sat on the grass messily, shoulders bumping and legs tangling, carefully holding the pomegranate pie between them. Wonwoo leaned back on the tree trunk and took the first piece. He hummed in appreciation and extended his hand to give Mingyu a bite too._

_Mingyu knew that the pie was delicious, even though he couldn’t exactly tell what it tasted like. He had never eaten pomegranates in his life before, and his brain had no idea how they would taste in a pie. It tasted like nothing, but it was a delicious nothing._

_“So,” Wonwoo begun, after finishing the first piece and beginning his attack on the second. “I spy something.” he said and Mingyu perked up. “It’s colour is orange.”_

_“Heechul’s hat.” Mingyu said in a heartbeat. “You seriously thought I wouldn’t have noticed it?”_

_Wonwoo shrugged. “I’m warming up.” he said as an excuse._

_“Well, I spy something too.” Mingyu continued, leaning over to take a bite out of the piece of pie Wonwoo was holding. “It’s colour is white.”_

_Wonwoo looked around. Mingyu saw him leaning up and looking at the sky, probably wondering if Mingyu was being predictably sneaky and picking the clouds again. Mingyu tried to hide his smile as he chewed the pie. Maybe he had managed to fool Wonwoo from the first round already._

_To his dismay, Wonwoo looked down again. “Is it Eunji’s dress?” he asked._

_“Nope.” Mingyu smirked._

_“Jaemin’s dog?” Wonwoo asked again._

_The dog that was rolling in the mud? “Does it look white to you right now?” Mingyu snickered._

_Wonwoo giggled and shook his head. He kept looking around. Mingyu watched him as his eyes danced over the stalls and the people. He watched them with calm, relaxed eyes. Mingyu could stare at him all he wanted there, and for some reason, Wonwoo never questioned it. It was strange._

_Wonwoo had pretty eyes. They were narrow and dark brown, hiding a depth Mingyu was almost scared to explore. He looked happy now, content. The surface of his eyes was light and soft, but Mingyu knew that it wasn’t always like that. He didn’t remember when, but he had seen those eyes when they were scared and teary, guarded and calculating. Only then they had reflected their true limitless depth. Even though it had been fascinating to watch his eyes then, Mingyu hoped he’d never have to see them like that._

_Now, Wonwoo’s eyes came to land on a flock of doves, on top of the roof of the bakery._

_“Is it that bird? It’s pure white.” he pointed there._

_Mingyu sighed. “It is.” he said._

_“Why a bird? It could have flown away any time before I guessed it.” Wonwoo looked at him curiously._

_“Because it’s you. You’re a little bird.” Mingyu said casually._

_For some reason, Wonwoo didn’t question that either. He just smiled and leaned his head on Mingyu’s shoulder. “I can’t fly away though.” he said._

_“Do you want to fly away?”_

_Wonwoo didn’t reply. He kept his head on Mingyu’s shoulder and linked their hands together. Mingyu didn’t know what to make of that. He just held Wonwoo’s hand, ready to either ground him, or give him the push needed to fly away. Whatever Wonwoo picked. Mingyu felt like he was capable of both._

_He was ready to tell Wonwoo to continue with their game, when suddenly the sun seemed to get larger and larger. It felt like it was getting impossibly closer brightening everything up until almost no colour remained. It wasn’t burning, but it made everything blurry and blocked Mingyu’s senses, until he couldn’t feel the breeze beneath the orange tree, until he even lost sight of Wonwoo. Everything was turning white, until the only thing he could feel was Wonwoo’s hand in his._

_“I spy something. It is moving towards us quickly.” he heard Wonwoo chuckling in the distance._

_“It’s me, idiot! I finally finished with the donkeys.” he heard Minghao too._

_“Here, have some pie. It’s custom made.” Wonwoo said to Minghao._

_“Wonwoo you’re a blessing. I’m starving.” Minghao said._

_Mingyu couldn’t hear anything after that, but he was sure that they kept talking, joking and laughing together._

_~~~_

When Mingyu woke up, he found that a ray of sun was hitting his eyes directly, and his cheeks were hurting from smiling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would never be able to make Minghao evil, okay?! NEver!! I want him to grow as person as much as Mingyu in this story and I hope his character develops as smoothly as the other main characters.
> 
> Thank you for reading, feedback is always appreciated! New chapter in 5 days!


	8. J'ai jamais eu les pieds sur Terre

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're finally moving on to the plot I had first thought about when writing this! I'm excited, I can't believe we made it this far. We're halfway to the end now, wow!

Mingyu walked out of his house with a plan. He desperately needed one if he was to ever pass by the fabric stall again. After his mother had announced to Nayoung’s family that there would be no marriage, Mingyu hadn’t dared step foot near the market.

But he couldn’t afford to hide himself in his house for days again, like he had done when he was fighting with Minghao. Wonwoo wasn’t going to come and force him out in search of his cat anytime soon, so he had to gather his courage on his own. And for that, he needed a plan to walk past Nayoung and the girls without making a mess.

Admittedly, it wasn’t a well-structed plan. It consisted of only one step.

_If they call you, pretend you don’t listen._

“Mingyu!” like clockwork, he heard Kyulkyung calling him from the distance. She must have known about what had happened between Mingyu and Nayoung, the girl must have told her. Yet she was still yelling for him, only to make him face Nayoung again and get him uncomfortable.

And his parents had wanted to arrange a marriage with this vixen.

Mingyu clenched his fist and kept walking, not even sparing a glance towards her way. He was going to talk to Nayoung and the rest of them again one day, but he needed more time to let all this blow over. Perhaps after Nayoung got married to someone else. Then, there would be no more grudges against him.

For now, he was just glad he was in the market without any major incidents. The sight of the people shopping around him was enough to gradually calm his nerves. He didn’t have anything to do today either, so he had all the time in the world to look around and relax.

Maybe he could sit under his orange tree too. It had been a while. The weather wasn’t as warm anymore, and the gentle breeze had turned colder, but Mingyu had his jacket and he didn’t get cold easily anyways. The peacefulness under that orange tree was worth the cold.

“Fresh pomegranates! They’re just in season! You won’t find them again!”

Mingyu abruptly turned his head to the side at the sound of that merchant’s words. He was a young man, probably around Jinhwan’s age, which would also explain why he was chatting idly with him while he took care of his costumers. The merchant wasn’t from their village. He had set up his products next to the stall of Jinhwan’s family, and from the looks of it, the boys were getting along fine.

Mingyu was glad. He hadn’t talked to any of his other friends after the stunt they pulled on Wonwoo, but he still cared. Jinhwan didn’t get along with people easily, so it was always a pleasure to watch him make new friends.

And they were selling pomegranates, of all things. Mingyu didn’t know why that particular fruit made him feel so funny, but it did. He had never tasted a pomegranate before, his brain didn’t know what flavour to expect from its small, red seeds. For some reason, he really wanted to try one today.

He walked up to the foreign merchant and smiled slightly. “Good morning.” he said.

“Hello there.” came the reply.

“Oh, Mingyu!” Jinhwan exclaimed when he saw him. “I haven’t seen you in ages, are you okay?” the worry jumped out of him.

“I’m fine, I’m fine.” Mingyu reassured him.

“Friend of yours?” the merchant asked Jinhwan curiously.

“Yeah, that’s Mingyu. Mingyu, Hanbin.” Jinhwan introduced them briefly.

“And before you think he’s the first ever person Jinhwan hangs around that is as old as him, Hanbin is my age.”

Mingyu turned around and saw Changkyun approaching. Jinhwan groaned and placed his face on his hand, while Changkyun grabbed Hanbin’s hand in a greeting. Mingyu had mixed feeling about seeing both Jinhwan and Changkyun like this again. They were exactly the same as he had left them. They were fun, and they cared about him, but now Mingyu knew what they were truly capable of.

“Mingyu where have you been? Minghao wouldn’t say anything about you, we got worried.” Changkyun said.

Apart from Minghao, Changkyun had been the one Mingyu felt the closest to. He was only one year older than him, they had many things in common. But now the distance between them felt huge, like a gaping canyon.

“I was here. I’ve been going through some stuff.” he said to Changkyun.

“Mingyu you know we’re here for anything you need, right?” Jinhwan said with a furrowed brow.

Mingyu shook his head. They weren’t, and they had proved it. Mingyu was glad they were doing fine, but he didn’t want them in his life anymore.

“What’s with that face?” Changkyun elbowed him. “I seriously need you back to the forest man. They make me light the fire on my own.”

“And he has failed at it twice without your help.” Jinhwan pointed out.

Mingyu chuckled, but he wasn’t really feeling it. Instead of answering, he turned to Hanbin.

“Can I have one pomegranate?” he asked.

“Sure.” Hanbin tossed him one.

Mingyu gave him the appropriate amount of money and put the fruit in his pocket. He didn’t know where this sudden urge for pomegranates came from, but he felt oddly excited to eat it under his orange tree later.

“So, we’ll gather tomorrow night again. Kyulkyung said she had news.” Jinhwan said.

Mingyu tried not to flinch. Knowing Kyulkyung, she was probably going to talk about Mingyu’s parents’ attempt to get him married to Nayoung. She probably wouldn’t rest until their entire group of friends knew how selfishly Mingyu had rejected her.

Mingyu looked away, feeling suffocated again. He wanted to get away from those people. If he wanted to be a proper friend, he would be telling them exactly what had bothered him, and he would try to get them to see their mistakes and apologize, like he had done with Minghao. He didn’t know if blocking them out of his life meant that he was a coward, or that he simply didn’t care enough anymore.

His eyes trailed toward the entrance of the village. Amongst the merchants that were coming and going, one figure caught his attention. Wonwoo was still wearing worn out clothes, but thankfully they were thicker now. He had even worn a coat over his slim body. He walked slowly, eyes casted to the ground as always. He passed by the wood shop he sometimes worked for, so that meant he wasn’t here for a job. Mingyu’s interest peaked.

“What are you looking at?” Changkyun followed his eyesight. He must have noticed Wonwoo entering the village too, because he snickered. “Ah, him again. Seriously Mingyu, what kind of crush do you have on the witch boy?”

He was joking, but Mingyu pursed his lips. It was always going to be like that with Changkyun, and Jinhwan and everyone else in this damn village. Mingyu genuinely felt like he didn’t have anything in common with the people he called his friends anymore.

“So anyway, you’re coming tomorrow night, right? We thinking about-“ Jinhwan began saying to Mingyu, but he interrupted him.

“Yeah, no, I won’t be coming.” Mingyu said quickly. “I have to go now, see you around.” he said, and began walking away before he could even finish his words.

“Wait, Mingyu!” Jinhwan called behind him, but Mingyu had a plan he was finding more and more useful as time passed.

_If they call you, pretend you don’t listen._

Right now, all Mingyu could hear were the noises of the market, the voices of people blending in with footsteps and the various sounds of the animals. It was as colorful as ever, even in the colder weather. It felt almost like a dream that Wonwoo was there too, walking between them without lifting heavy crates for his work.

He was looking around him at the various stalls, careful not to make eye contact with anyone. He didn’t look quite like he did in Mingyu’s dreams, he was still thinner and not nearly as relaxed. But he was there, walking amongst all the colours and Mingyu didn’t even question himself as his feet carried him to his side.

“Hey!” he called, causing Wonwoo to jump in alarm.

“H-hi…” he said uncertainly when he saw Mingyu. He looked so tense. He glanced around him intensely before he took a step closer to Mingyu. “Is it okay for you to talk to me?” he asked.

“More than okay.” Mingyu nodded. “You’re probably the only person I want to talk to right now.” he said, frowning a little.

“Oh.” Wonwoo said. “Did something happen?”

He actually sounded concerned. In another life, Mingyu would grab his hand and drag him back to his home to whine at him for hours about how hard everything was. Mingyu wanted to tell him about his problems so badly. Talking to Wonwoo after everything felt like the much-needed breath of fresh air he had been craving.

“It’s fine.” Mingyu said at the end. “I’m fine now. What are you doing here though?” he asked conversationally.

“I’m looking to buy something…” Wonwoo said, glancing around the stalls. “I don’t know what exactly though.”

Mingyu had to suppress a smile. Of course he wasn’t here just to buy fruits, or something. His answer just had to be as intriguing as everything else about him.

“I can help you look.” he offered without thinking too much about it.

“Really?” Wonwoo couldn’t keep the hopefulness out of his voice. How could Mingyu say no to that?

“Really.” he assured him. “Do I get any hints about what you’re searching for?”

“Uhh…” Wonwoo thought about it. “It’s meat, probably. It’s a new shipment from the town.” he said.

“The meat is further inside the market. Let’s go.” Mingyu began walking, urging the other to follow him.

So they walked together on the market road again, this time in the middle of the day and amongst a lot of people, instead of late at night and alone. Wonwoo was pressed close to him, not exactly touching, but letting everyone know they were walking together, and they didn’t just happen to be on the same path.

Mingyu couldn’t help but think that this was as close to his dreams as it had ever gotten. Even the hints Wonwoo had given him about the meat he was searching were so much like those he would have if they were playing _I spy_. Mingyu clutched the pomegranate in his pocket.

People were staring at them, some were even whispering among themselves, but Mingyu didn’t seem to notice. He was looking around all the stalls that sold meat, trying to spot one that wasn’t manned by his fellow villagers. He didn’t even notice the bewildered looks Jinhwan and Changkyun were giving him as he passed by them again, with Wonwoo on toe.

Wonwoo noticed though. He was too used to the hostile looks to miss them. “Mingyu…” he clutched the bottom of Mingyu’s jacket shyly. “Maybe you shouldn’t walk with me…” he tried to warn him.

Mingyu took one moment to glance at Wonwoo’s hand that was holding him tightly, and then look back at his face. He looked so nervous. His mouth was telling Mingyu to go away, but his hand still hadn’t let go of his jacket. Mingyu unclasped it gently and linked their fingers together. Wonwoo’s were still as cold as always.

“Are you sure?” Mingyu asked him.

Wonwoo averted his eyes and bit his lip uncertainly. He couldn’t pull away, even though a part of him obviously wanted to. It was all the confirmation Mingyu needed to pull him along and continue walking.

Wonwoo didn’t even attempt to let go of him. They walked hand in hand, and Mingyu just knew that this moment was going to haunt his mind for days. Luckily or not, it wasn’t long before Wonwoo tugged their linked hands, causing Mingyu to stop and look at him questioningly.

“There.” Wonwoo motioned with his head. “This stall isn’t always here is it?”

Mingyu looked at the stall Wonwoo was pointing at and indeed, it was one that sometimes visited from the town. It mostly sold birds, their feathers and meat. It fit Wonwoo’s description. The old man behind it, with his gray hair and a light blue scarf, was unfamiliar to Mingyu.

“Let’s go then.” Mingyu said.

Wonwoo released his hand when they were in front of the stall, and Mingyu tried to convince himself that he didn’t feel a pang of disappointment at the lack of contact.

“Morning lads.” the old man greeted them. “What can I give you?” he asked.

Wonwoo looked around at all the products and hummed thoughtfully. “How much would it cost if I took everything?” he asked in the end.

“What?” both Mingyu and the old man said at the same time.

“I want everything. All your products.” Wonwoo repeated.

Mingyu gaped at him. How many times did he have to repeat to himself that he had to stop being surprised at everything Wonwoo did? Everytime, Wonwoo managed to do something that surprised him even more than before.

“Do you want to buy everything lad?” the merchant looked at him, almost as shocked as Mingyu.

“Yes please.” Wonwoo insisted.

“What are you going to do with all this stuff?” Mingyu asked, his voice full of his surprise.

“It doesn’t matter.” Wonwoo told him simply. “I have enough money. If you sell everything today, you can go home sooner, sir.” Wonwoo told the merchant.

“I…” the old man looked at Mingyu, as if he was asking for permission. Mingyu shrugged at him.

Where did Wonwoo even get the money for something like that? Mingyu’s mind was burning from the effort to find a sliver of logic behind this action.

“Let me see your money.” the man said in the end, and Wonwoo handed him a small pouch. “It… it is enough… But I have to express my inhibitions about that purchase, young man. What will your family say?”

“They won’t mind.” Wonwoo smiled faintly.

“Well… it’s not my business either way, is it?” the man rubbed the back of his head. “Are you sure you want everything?” he asked once again, just to make sure.

“I do.” Wonwoo nodded.

“Okay… Take it then, I guess.” the man said, pocketing the pouch of Wonwoo’s money.

“Thank you.” Wonwoo said, and without another word, he began making piles of all the birds and feathers to carry home.

There were a few seconds where Mingyu could only looked at him incredulously. Just what was going on in that brain of his? Even if he piled everything neatly, there was no way he would be able to carry them all to his house on his own.

“Let me help.” Mingyu said, quickly walking to his side.

“You don’t have to. You already did enough by keeping me company.” Wonwoo said timidly.

“No, I want to help. You can promise me to explain what this is all about in return, how about it?” he asked.

“Okay.” Wonwoo said and smiled to the ground, pleased.

Mingyu had so many questions. For all the time he spent thinking about Wonwoo, he still couldn’t figure him out. There were so many sides of him that remained hidden. He was full of surprises, and Mingyu didn’t think a lifetime was going to be enough to learn what to expect from him.

He stepped away from the counter with his arms full of dead birds. The piles reached all the way to his chin and they were much heavier than he had anticipated, but he still left Wonwoo to carry all the feathers, and only a few birds. The less strain he put on his body, the better.

Maybe he hadn’t noticed the looks of his villagers before when he was walking with Wonwoo, but he definitely did now. He knew that even if Wonwoo wasn’t trailing behind him, all those birds would still garner the attention of everyone around him.

“Hurry up.” Mingyu called at Wonwoo, eager to get outside of the village and the prying eyes as fast as possible.

The walk to the exit of the village felt longer than it had ever been. When Mingyu stepped foot on the familiar path of the forest that led to Wonwoo’s house, he sighed deeply. That was not the kind of attention from the people that he enjoyed.

“I’m sorry…” Wonwoo apologized immediately. “I shouldn’t have let you walk with me, let alone carry all that stuff…”

“I told you, it’s okay-“

“But what if you get in trouble now? I don’t want you to suffer because of me.” Wonwoo said sadly.

“Stop that.” Mingyu said sternly. “I’d have suffered more if I have just left you alone.”

Wonwoo took a sharp breath, but he was still behind Mingyu, so he couldn’t see his expression. He could feel him taking a step closer though, minimizing their distance as they walked.

Mingyu carried the birds all the way to Wonwoo’s front yard. He almost stepped on the trap again too, but Wonwoo warned him about it just in time to not fall and scatter the birds everywhere. He placed them a few meters away from his house, as Wonwoo instructed him. He could hear the squeaking chirp of the eagle in the distance, and he briefly wondered if all those birds were for him.

“Thank you for this. I don’t know how to repay you.” Wonwoo said, placing his own load next to Mingyu’s.

“You don’t have to.” Mingyu said. “I… liked walking with you through the market.” he confessed.

“You did?” Wonwoo looked at him disbelievingly.

Mingyu nodded. There was no point denying it. He only wished he had managed to show Wonwoo his orange tree before they had to leave. He would have loved to sit under it with him.

“Wait here.” Wonwoo said then and disappeared inside his house. He returned quickly, with a towel and the vial of the light pink liquid. _The alcohol in this is diluted,_ Mingyu’s mind supplied unhelpfully.

“This is the thing that was stronger than soap?” Mingyu asked.

Wonwoo smiled at him proudly. “I like how you remember all these after only one use.” he said.

“Orange for injuries, pink for cleanliness.” Mingyu said. “I remember.”

“Give me your hands then.” Wonwoo grabbed Mingyu’s hands and poured a little of the pink thing on them.

Mingyu watched him as he rubbed his hand with the towel meticulously. He didn’t leave even an inch of skin untouched, he rubbed him all the way to his wrist, even a bit below his shirt.

“You’re a lot more thorough with this today.” Mingyu commented.

“It’s because of those birds… I need to disinfect your skin.” Wonwoo said with pursed lips. “Did they touch your neck?”

“Yeah, a little.” Mingyu nodded.

“Well then.” Wonwoo said and got closer. He splashed the liquid on the side of Mingyu’s neck and began rubbing him there too.

He was too close. Mingyu could practically feel Wonwoo’s breath on his neck as he ran his hands all over him. He touched him everywhere, from below his jaw, to his collarbones, and even to his shoulders. Mingyu was too ashamed to admit that he enjoyed the attention. It would have been so easy to put a hand on Wonwoo’s waist then and bring him even closer. Mingyu felt his cheeks starting reddening just from the thought.

He coughed slightly as Wonwoo pulled back, in an attempt to shake off the sensation of Wonwoo rubbing his skin with that towel. The fact that he was smelling like peonies now didn’t help at all.

Wonwoo was very obviously not looking at him as he cleaned himself too. The silence between them was awkward, and Mingyu just couldn’t stop blushing for some reason.

“I uhh…” Wonwoo began when he finished with himself. “I think you should wash that shirt before it touches anything else.” he said.

“Why though? Is something wrong with those birds?” Mingyu asked.

“Plenty of things.” Wonwoo nodded grimly. He put the cap back on the vial and grabbed Mingyu’s hand. “Let’s go inside, I owe you an explanation.” he said, pulling Mingyu towards the door.

Mingyu followed him, desperately trying to force his face to cool down. Wonwoo’s hand on his felt natural. The way he pulled him to his house so casually did something to Mingyu. It hadn’t been that long since he had greeted him with a knife behind his back, through a half-open door. Now, Wonwoo trusted him enough to drag him without worrying if he might scare him away.

The moment the door was closed behind them, Wonwoo took his shirt off and messily threw it at the ground. Mingyu squeaked in surprise. He hadn’t been expecting that. He tried to avert his eyes on time, he swore he did, but he just couldn’t.

“What’s wrong?” Wonwoo turned his upper body a bit towards him.

“N-nothing.” Mingyu hurried to say.

A shirtless Wonwoo shouldn’t be making him feel funny. How many times had Mingyu gotten naked with Minghao in the past? It shouldn’t be a big deal, they were all men. But Wonwoo’s shoulders were broad, and his muscles flexed when he reached to grab another shirt from his tree-hanger. His waist was small, and he looked even slimmer without a shirt on. Mingyu’s eyes trailed downwards, from his prominent collarbones to his hairless chest and above his waist. Even if his body was thin, he still had a soft layer of muscles on his abdomen and his arms, probably from all the heavy crates he was made to carry around. Wonwoo wasn’t unattractive, and Mingyu didn’t know why he only noticed it now.

“Take off your shirt too, I can’t have it touch anything in here.” Wonwoo said as he pulled a blue, soft looking blouse over his head.

Any hope Mingyu had to let his face cool down disappeared. “Do you uhh have anything to give me to wear?” he mumbled.

Wonwoo pursed his lips in thought and ran his hands over the rest of his clothes. “I… don’t think that anything will fit.” he said. “I can give you a dress shirt, but I doubt the buttons will do up.”

“It will do.” Mingyu said, trying not to let his embarrassment take the better of him. He took his shirt off and threw it next to Wonwoo’s on the floor.

Wonwoo didn’t really look at him as he handed him the white dress shirt, but his cheeks weren’t that pale anymore either. _Good. I’m not alone in this,_ Mingyu thought.

As Wonwoo warned him, he had to leave the front of the shirt unbuttoned. It was warm enough in the house so his exposed chest wouldn’t get cold, but with the way his whole body was warming up with self-consciousness, he doubted he would have gotten cold either way. Mingyu just couldn’t understand why he was making such a big deal out of this. His shirt got dirty, so Wonwoo gave him one of his. It should be simple like that.

“Now that this out of the way,” Wonwoo coughed a bit, snapping Mingyu out of his thoughts, “come with me.” he said and headed towards the bedroom.

Mingyu walked behind him, feeling a bit of his curiosity return as the bashfulness subsided. He looked at the large bed with the view of the sky with unabashed longing. The night he had spent there seemed too long ago. So many things have changed since then.

“Mingyu, you’ll have to promise me you won’t get scared.” Wonwoo said suddenly, stopping in his tracks.

“Why would I get scared?” Mingyu asked with a frown. He had thought they were over this. The days when he had been weary of Wonwoo and his weird antics were long gone. It was kind of heartbreaking to see that Wonwoo, despite everything, was still worried about scaring him away. “I’m not going anywhere, don’t worry.” Mingyu said reassuringly.

“Okay.” Wonwoo nodded and crouched down, searching for something below the bed.

Mingyu looked at him curiously as he stood up again, holding a key in his hands. “So,” Wonwoo began, “you know how this merchant came from the big town beyond the mountain.”

“Yeah, I think he brings his products here every few months.” Mingyu said.

“Have you… ever been to the town?” Wonwoo asked.

“Uhh no, I haven’t. What does that have to do with anything?” Mingyu sat down on the bed as he looked at him, waiting to see where he was going with this.

“I haven’t either.” Wonwoo fumbled with the key on his hand. “But many of the monks at the monastery have. Some of them travelled a lot, to towns even bigger than the one closest to us. The world is a really big place.”

Mingyu nodded. He had no idea how the world looked outside of their small village. He had grown up hearing about large towns, about cobblestone roads, about taverns and inns and even castles where the king lived. When merchants or travelers talked about the towns, they always described them so ornate and flashy. Mingyu always thought it must be magnificent to live down there.

“There are so many people living together in the houses, they don’t even know each other.” Wonwoo kept talking. “They live cramped together, struggling to work and make money for the king. There are many who believe in God, but most of them do it out of fear.”

“Fear is not a good motive to take action.” Mingyu commented.

“It really isn’t.” Wonwoo smiled faintly. Wonwoo more than anyone must have been aware of this. He had spent three years living isolated and hated because people were scared of him. Mingyu sighed. He used to be one of those people.

“So, in the conditions they live, people get sick quite a lot. The monks have been trying to find cures for their illnesses for years now.” Wonwoo continued. “A few months back, a terrible illness emerged from a town, quite far away from ours. It was no normal cold, it couldn’t be treated like everything else. People started dropping dead like flies in winter, and nobody could understand why.”

Mingyu’s lips parted in surprise. “There was no treatment?” he asked.

“No, and there still isn’t.” Wonwoo shook his head. “People don’t realize it immediately when the get sick. They carry the illness with them as they travel. The merchants went from city to city like always, unknowingly spreading death. A plague, they called it.”

“What? Is this real?” Mingyu’s jaw dropped. “A plague?”

“I’m afraid so.” Wonwoo looked at the ground, his lips pressed tight. “The place it originated from is unknown, but the illness is very real.”

A plague. There had never been one in their country as far as Mingyu remembered. The last time sickness had spread like wildfire in the towns had been long before his birth. If what Wonwoo was saying was true, there was a far greater problem in the horizon than his impending marriage.

Mingyu couldn’t believe his ears. “And you’re saying it has spread to many towns?”

“Quite a few.” Wonwoo said grimly. “The monks have been trying to find a cure, but they have no idea how it spreads or how to stop it. It seems that even the animals can get infected, and if people eat their meat, they get sick as well. That’s what they told me in the letter they sent me.”

Mingyu’s eyes widened. “The birds.” he said, realization dawning upon him. “Oh my god, has that plague reached here?”

“No, not yet.” Wonwoo said reassuringly. “The town beyond the mountain though has begun suffering already, I’m afraid.”

“But…” Mingyu tried to find his words. “But we have so many merchants coming from that town every day…” he said. “We must warn the people.” he said decisively.

Wonwoo sighed and looked away. “You know they won’t listen to me.” he said dejectedly.

“Yes, but maybe if I back you up…” Mingyu said, but the moment it left his lips, he knew it was a hopeless idea.

The moment he mentioned Wonwoo’s name to the village, everyone would stop listening. It didn’t matter if he had something important to say, when it came to Wonwoo, everyone turned blind. Mingyu had never experienced what it was like to be overlooked by people, not quite like Wonwoo had. It was a helpless feeling. It was like screaming at the top of your lungs in a dark void, with no one around to see or listen to you. That was true loneliness. That was what Wonwoo had been going through for three years now.

Mingyu buried his face in his hands and let out a frustrated sound. People were dying, and he was only now learning of it. His friends and family were in danger and he had no idea what to do to help them. He felt useless.

Wonwoo didn’t have anyone in the village to protect. He didn’t have friends or family like Mingyu, but instead of wallowing in pity, he had gone and bought all the merchandise from the town that might endanger the village.

“You bought all these birds to protect them, didn’t you?” Mingyu asked quietly.

“Partly.” Wonwoo nodded.

Mingyu bit his lips. He felt a lump forming at his throat. Wonwoo’s kindness knew no limits. From every weird reason Mingyu had expected to listen about Wonwoo’s abnormal purchase, this hadn’t even crossed his mind. A plague. That wasn’t something he had ever been prepared for.

“Hey.” Wonwoo said and crouched down in front of him. “Don’t make that face. This has been going on for months, nothing changes now that you know.”

“Is that supposed to make me feel better?” Mingyu murmured. “It’s here now. Maybe we are safe for a few more weeks, but what happens when more merchants arrive? It’s only a matter of time until everyone falls sick.”

Wonwoo’s eyes ran over his face, uncertain as what to say. In the end, he placed a hand on Mingyu’s knee. “Get up. I have more to show you.” he said gently.

Wonwoo walked to the door with the scratches. Mingyu couldn’t believe he was finally inviting him to see the inside of that room now, after he was so shaken up. His curiosity managed to fight through the feeling of hopelessness that was threatening to envelop him and he went to stand next to Wonwoo.

Wonwoo placed the key inside the heavy lock and turned it around. Mingyu heard the click that meant the door was unlocked now.

“You promised you won’t get scared.” Wonwoo said.

Mingyu had half the mind to tell him that this only made him more afraid. Wonwoo wasn’t confident about what he was going to show him this time, he was worried and uncertain, which made Mingyu feel a lot less confident himself. What was he hiding in that room? How bad could it be?

Mingyu had to make sure that no matter what, he didn’t run away. That would hurt Wonwoo, and this was the last thing he needed right now. Before Wonwoo opened the creaky door, Mingyu slipped his hand in his. The feeling of his cold fingers against his own would probably be enough to remind him that no matter what he saw, this was still Wonwoo, and he had no reason to be afraid of him.

The door finally opened, and Wonwoo gently pulled him inside. At the sight of the room, Mingyu’s eyes widened, and he instinctively brought his other hand to hold Wonwoo’s, his grip tight.

“My God…” he said, subtly moving closer to him.

The room was nothing like the others in the house. Everywhere else, Wonwoo’s home was made to be comfortable and cozy, be it with pillows, or soft beds and wide windows. But this… The walls here were dark, and there were no windows, only some holes at the top of the walls. Walls that ended in a round ceiling, dark and mysterious. There were lanterns perched in every corner, illuminating every inch of the room in a creepy hue. There were no couches, or decorative cloths, just wooden tables and shelves. The room was filled with them. There was only one chair between them, a chair that had wheels on its legs for some reason.

The wheels were the last of Mingyu’s concern though. What he couldn’t take his eyes from were the objects that were on those tables and shelves. There were many coloured vials, a lot more than Mingyu would have guessed Wonwoo owned, all differently labeled. There were objects of unidentifiable shapes, crystal bowls, iron rods. There were salts, and herbs, and even the bones of small animals scattered around.

And the books. There were books thrown around everywhere, some of their pages looking like his mother’s recipe books, but Mingyu knew that they were far from it. Mingyu could recognize a space to light a fire. That was to melt the iron and other metals. Behind that, there were all kinds of different molds, and a whole array of tools. And the smell. It smelled like dust and powder, but with the mixture of flowers and wood, not nearly as elegant as the rest of the house.

There was no sugarcoating how this room looked. It was like a witch’s lair.

“Wonwoo…?” Mingyu asked uncertainly.

“I wish I could explain what everything in here was for. It would stop looking scary if you knew how I use all these things.” Wonwoo said.

“B-but…” Mingyu looked back outside the door, towards the brightly lit bedroom. The impulse to go back there was huge.

“Please don’t be scared…” Wonwoo said, taking a step back. Mingyu was still holding his hand firmly though, so he just took the step with him.

If Mingyu’s father ever knew this room existed, he would burn down everything, Wonwoo included. But Mingyu wasn’t his father. He wasn’t going to make assumptions based on just his sight, without even giving Wonwoo a chance to explain himself.

“What… What did you want to show me?” he asked in the end. His voice wasn’t as steady as he would have liked, but he trusted Wonwoo. He just hoped he wasn’t making a huge mistake in doing so.

“It’s right there, on that table.” Wonwoo pulled him along to table that was right next to the north wall.

There were vials with various liquids in them, some of them angled in a certain way so they would slowly mix. Thrown amongst them were pages from books, some empty, some half written and filled with sketches and drawings, and Mingyu assumed that Wonwoo had written most of those. There was a bottle of transparent alcohol, and tools with thin ends. There was a magnifying glass, and a few samples of what looked an awful lot like dissected animal organs. Mingyu didn’t know what he was supposed to be looking at, but he wasn’t comforted by the sight at all.

“T-tell me. I’m listening.” he said to Wonwoo, hoping that his voice didn’t betray how unnerved he was.

Wonwoo picked up a book from the shelf above the desk and opened it in front of Mingyu. “This is everything that the monks have managed to find about the plague. It contains all we know about it, the ways it may spread, how quickly it acts, factors that may have slowed it down in the past… It’s all the research the monks have managed to gather.” he started explaining.

Mingyu peeked at the book, but there wasn’t much he could read, much less understand. He just hoped that Wonwoo would continue explaining.

“For the past few months, I’ve been trying to test their hypotheses here, separate what actually works and what doesn’t. Unfortunately,” he said and closed the book, “nothing in here led to a cure. They had been close at some point. They thought that they were on the right track, but the solution I made from their theories didn’t work at all.”

Mingyu was slowly starting to see where this was going. All the talk about the plague and its unfound cure… Mingyu managed to take his eyes off the table to look at Wonwoo instead. His eyes had that sparkle again, the same one from when he had been talking about the water pipes.

“So what you see here is all my own efforts to continue the research.” Wonwoo continued. “There is no point in trying to explain with details what everything is for but… I’m trying.” he averted his eyes at this point. “I’m trying my best. I’ll try to protect your village, okay?” his grip on Mingyu’s hand tightened. “So please don’t lose hope.”

Mingyu could hear the chirping of some birds from outside. The weather was cloudy, but their melodies carried with the wind, passing through walls and doors alike. Once little birds began singing, there was no way Mingyu could stop listening to them. Once Mingyu had given himself the chance to listen to them even for a moment, his ears filled with music. And after his ears were full, the music traveled all around his body, settling at his heart like it has always been there.

He took a few steps back and leaned his back against the wall. Wonwoo was dragged with him, but he still wasn’t looking at him, the fear of rejection as strong as ever. For once, Mingyu was glad about it. He didn’t know how his face would have looked like at the moment, as he felt the earth disappear around him and he was enveloped in music. Something important happened to Mingyu in that moment. Something that he felt he was going to carry with him his entire life.

Without a word, he pulled Wonwoo even closer, until he was flush against his chest. He slowly wrapped his arms around his slim waist and placed his chin on top of his head. To think that a few moments ago he had been scared for his life because of a weird room Wonwoo had in his house. To think he had been thinking about leaving him alone because of that room, the room that Wonwoo actually spent all his time trying to find a cure to a disease to save the lives of hundreds of people that didn’t even care about him.

Mingyu felt Wonwoo’s hands shyly wrapping around his own waist, the skin to skin contact only causing the music to get louder. Mingyu exhaled slowly and closed his eyes, trying to get some semblance of control back. His heart was beating wildly in his chest, and he was certain that with the way he was holding Wonwoo, the other could hear it clearly.

“Are you okay Mingyu?” Wonwoo asked quietly after a while.

Music, music everywhere. It was unstoppable. He lifted one of his hands to cup Wonwoo’s cheek and leaned down to look at him. This would have been the point where he would say a word to him with deep meaning, something to express how he felt with laconic clarity, like Wonwoo had done when he called him beautiful.

Mingyu tried to come up with something to say, he truly did, but it was impossible. He couldn’t describe a whole symphony with just one word. So he just stayed there, looking into Wonwoo’s eyes and for the first time, he saw a future there.

He didn’t see a childish dream anymore, like the ones he had about living with Wonwoo at the village. Those were so lacking compared to the real thing. Wonwoo would never fit in in a village like theirs, he was made for a much bigger destiny. Mingyu didn’t want him to waste away here anymore, not even to fulfill his pointless fantasies.

No, the future Mingyu saw now had his heart almost leaping out of his chest, his mind almost throwing a riot. He didn’t want to get married, settle down, inherit his father’s fields and lead a quiet life. He wanted to stay in that weird world Wonwoo was living. He wanted to get locked in his peculiar house with him as he made inventions. He wanted to take care of him and help him make the world better, even if it meant leaving behind everything he had ever known.

He brushed Wonwoo’s cheekbone with his thumb, and Wonwoo leaned in at the touch. Mingyu exhaled again. The music just wouldn’t stop playing.

“I believe in you.” he said in the end. Not just trust, not just sympathy. Wonwoo was the only future Mingyu could imagine for himself and not get suffocated.

“Ah, Mingyu.” Wonwoo whined and buried himself on Mingyu’s arms again. “What are you doing to me? Why do I feel like this?” he said, voice muffled on Mingyu’s skin.

Mingyu almost laughed. “Do you hear the music too?” he asked.

And the strange thing was, without any explanation, Wonwoo somehow understood what he meant. It was his reply that was going to haunt Mingyu. It was exactly this reply that should have warned him about what was going to happen in the future…

“I wish I could hear it. Everything has been dark for so long… I’m afraid my senses aren’t working anymore.” Wonwoo’s voice shook with his words.

Mingyu held him tighter. His heart hurt at hearing those words, and it wasn’t out of pity anymore. He imagined a bird singing a beautiful melody to the void, with no one to listen and reply for so long. Mingyu was glad that he had managed to hear it before its voice went out altogether.

He had a terrible feeling that it had been a close call. And this scared him more than any of Wonwoo’s bizarre actions ever had.

When Wonwoo finally pulled back, Mingyu was still afraid, but for a whole other reason now. Wonwoo wasn’t okay. He still smiled, he still worked and took care of his animals but… he was neglecting himself, and that went deeper than a simple lack of appetite. Wonwoo was bright, radiant and full of potential, but he wasn’t happy. Wonwoo was hurting.

“You should go.” Wonwoo said, clearing his throat a bit. “I don’t have anything else to tell you.”

_I don’t want to go,_ Mingyu wanted to say.

If he had said that then, if he had been brave enough to follow his heart, maybe things would have ended up differently than they did.

“Will you be okay?” he asked instead.

“As okay as I ever was.” Wonwoo gave him one of his faint smiles.

So Mingyu took a deep breath and pushed himself off the wall. He followed Wonwoo back to the living room and wore his own shirt. He left after Wonwoo made him swear that he would wash it and then wash himself again, for good measure. Wonwoo was so caring, and Mingyu didn’t want to admit it, but he felt terrible leaving him alone once again.

~~~

The first sign that this night wasn’t going to run smoothly came to Mingyu in the form of the stares he got from the villagers as he sat below his orange tree. After leaving Wonwoo’s house, he hadn’t felt like going home. He spent his entire afternoon beneath his favourite tree in the middle of the market, ignoring his rumbling stomach.

What he couldn’t ignore were the dirty looks he was given every now and then, from men and women alike. Nobody attempted to talk to him, which was strange, because he was the mayor’s son, and he was sitting alone. There should have been at least three of his mother’s friends that passed by asking him what he was doing, if something was wrong. They always cared about him like that. Not this time though. They just walked on, pretending they hadn’t seen him, even though they clearly had.

The second sign was what made Mingyu certain that something was terribly wrong. The sun was beginning to set, when he saw Minghao running to his direction. He sat a little straighter as he watched the deep frown on his face.

“You’re in trouble.” were Minghao’s first words when he kneeled down next to him. “You’re in so, _so_ much trouble.” he repeated, leaving no room for Mingyu to doubt him.

“Why?” Mingyu asked, even though a part of him knew.

Minghao slapped the back of his head. “You know why!” he said. “Are you crazy Mingyu? Did you think that if I managed to accept that you had a not-so-subtle crush on the weird witch boy without thinking he had cursed you or something, then the entire village could do the same?”

“Crush?” Mingyu furrowed his eyebrows.

“Oh my God, focus! Father is going to kill you!” Minghao slapped his head again.

Mingyu leaned back on his tree and sighed. “Do you know why I was with him? Do you know what I helped him do?” he asked.

“No, and I don’t care.” Minghao spat. “Don’t you see Mingyu, _no one cares!_ Everyone just saw you being weird with him, and father knows. Stop thinking about _Wonwoo_ for a second and let’s think about a way to get you out of this without sending you to a monastery!”

Minghao’s words were like a slap of reality. He meant well, Mingyu knew it now. He hadn’t given him shit every time Mingyu brought up Wonwoo in their conversations, but he never quite understood either. And Mingyu’s father… Mingyu was terrified of him. There was a reason he hadn’t wanted him to know.

Mingyu began sobering up, and the more he thought back on this day from his family’s point of view, the more the music started disappearing from inside him. He had been beyond reckless. Just when he thought he finally had the courage to get a little breath of fresh air, the consequences of his actions came to choke that air out of him.

“Is… is father home?” Mingyu asked.

“Yes, he returned early for you. I think you should seriously consider telling him that witch boy actually put a spell on you or something. I don’t see how else you can walk out of this mess intact.” Minghao crossed his hands in front of his chest.

Mingyu grimaced at the suggestion. He couldn’t do that to Wonwoo, especially now that he got a glimpse of how much those rumors were hurting him. No, he had to be brave, even if it looked impossible right now, he had to try and explain.

“I think I’m going to tell him the truth.” he told Minghao.

“Are you stupid?” Minghao all but yelled at him.

“I have to, Minghao. I have to make him listen. Unlike you, I care enough about him to try and get him to see the truth.” Mingyu spat and got up.

“The truth?” Minghao called behind him. “Please Mingyu, your truth isn’t absolute. Everyone sees this world differently. And what father saw today, I don’t think it is something your words can make him reconsider.”

Mingyu hated how Minghao always knew what to say to bend people to his will. He had just the right words to weaken his resolve. He wasn’t wrong either. Ultimately, what Mingyu believed to be the truth and what his father believed to be the truth were two completely different things, and it felt almost impossible to bridge them. Mingyu didn’t have a choice but to try though. He owed it to Wonwoo.

“I’m doing this with or without you Hao.” he said and turned back to look at him. “Choose your side.”

Minghao looked at him like he was watching him for the first time. He was mad, but he wasn’t mad at Mingyu. He made a disgruntled noise and kicked a pebble out of the way, before he walked up to Mingyu’s side.

“I’m with you. Always.” he said grumpily.

“Thank you.” Mingyu said sincerely. Thanks to Minghao, Mingyu had never experienced what it was like to be alone, hurting and weak. Thanks to Minghao, Mingyu had never been in a dark void. “I can’t explain how much this means to me.” Mingyu told him.

Mingyu had seen the other side, he had seen the void and how it could deeply hurt someone even as powerful as Wonwoo. He could only be thankful that even in the darkest of times, Minghao had always been there to keep him out of it.

As empowered as Mingyu felt with Minghao on his side though, nothing could have prepared him for his father’s wrath.

It was dark when Mingyu returned home, with Minghao on toe. He took a deep breath before he opened the front door. His parents were sitting at the couch on the living room expectantly. Mingyu’s mother was looking down at the flames of the fireplace calmly. She probably didn’t have anything to say anymore. It was then that Mingyu understood with a finality, that this time he was facing his father alone, without his mother to act as a mediator.

Minghao closed the door behind him and went to sit next to Mingyu’s mother. This was it then.

“Good evening.” Mingyu greeted his parents, his voice light.

“Evening.” only his father replied. “Sit.” he ordered Mingyu without missing a heartbeat.

Mingyu sat at a chair opposite of his father. There was silence for a long while, and Mingyu didn’t dare break it first. The tension was steadily building up, and just before it was about to explode, Mingyu’s father opened his mouth.

“I was informed that you walked around the market with that… _boy_ today.” he said, still not looking at Mingyu. “Before I say anything else, I want you to confirm that you indeed were casually shopping with him, and he wasn’t forcing you to do it in any way.”

He was eliminating any chance Mingyu had to excuse himself right from the beginning. If Mingyu wanted to get out of trouble with lies, this was his last chance. He clenched his fists on his lap and shook his head.

“No, he wasn’t forcing me. I was there on my own will.” he said. “I want to explain though-“

“Silence!” his father slammed his hand on the armrest of the couch. “I speak and you answer young man, you hear me?” he roared.

Even if he wanted to, Mingyu couldn’t say no.

“What you did… I can’t even begin to express how _vile_ it was.” his father began. “Not only you decide to talk to a _witch,_ like you are friends or something, but you also do it in front of the entire village. Do you want to tarnish my name Mingyu? Have you absolutely no shame?”

“Father, I want to explain-“

“Silence, I tell you!” his father screamed again, making his mother flinch. “I do wonder what compelled you to do such a thing, but I’m so repulsed by the thought of my son talking to a witch that I can’t even bring myself to ask you! Answer this then. Have you been seeing him behind my back all this time?” he asked furiously.

“…I have.” Mingyu confessed. His mother sighed disappointedly, and Minghao averted his eyes. Mingyu was done with lying. “And I have a reason-“

“A reason he says!” Mingyu’s father stood up from his seat. “Pray tell boy, what in God’s world made you think it was a good idea to get friendly with a demon?”

Mingyu flinched at the word demon. Wonwoo was nothing but an angel.

“You have misjudged him father. He is not a witch.” Mingyu said. “He has been working to the benefit of the village all this time, even though you shun him.”

“We shun him, because he is evil.”

“He is not!” Mingyu said. “He is trying to find a cure for the plague.” he threw his secret weapon.

“What plague?” his father asked, sitting back down.

“You don’t know? There is a plague rampaging the towns beyond the mountain. It has already killed many people and there is no cure, but Wonwoo’s trying to find one. All this time he-“

“Mingyu, my boy, do you hear yourself?” his father interrupted him. “ _What plague_? I’m the mayor of this village, don’t you think they would have informed me if there was such a danger lurking?” he said.

Mingyu closed his mouth.

“He is lying to you, and he has been lying from the beginning to try and lure you in. He knows you’re my son and he thinks you’re also my weakness. Don’t think for a second he doesn’t want to take advantage of you by feeding you fantasies. And you were gullible enough to fall for it, like a naïve baby. I’m so disappointed in you Mingyu.” his father said, his face morphed in an ugly expression.

Mingyu shriveled up at those words. Even after everything, a part of him still felt like a failure every time his father said that. It was unfair. His father was never going to listen to him, but Mingyu couldn’t help but take all his words to heart. He didn’t want to doubt Wonwoo but… his father should have known about the plague. He was the mayor, the people of the town should have informed him.

Why didn’t he know?

“See? You don’t have anything to say.” his father said. “You are twenty years old, but you’re still a child Mingyu. A weak one, at that. I can’t believe you are my son sometimes.”

“But father-“ Mingyu tried to defend himself one more time.

“Quiet. You spoke enough of your nonsense. Here is how it is going to go.” his father said seriously and crossed his hands in front of him. “You are never going to speak to him, you are never going to even glance at his direction. We’ll tell the village that he put you under a spell, and you have no memory of the time you spent with him.”

Mingyu felt his jaw drop. “Father no-“

“I didn’t ask for your agreement.” his father closed his eyes irritated. “You’re not stepping foot in the market for the next week. We need to let this whole mess blow over. You’ll work at the fields all day, every day. You’ll only stop to eat and sleep.”

Mingyu didn’t care about the physical punishment. At this point, he just wanted to protect Wonwoo from any more malicious rumors. Even though he felt his heart breaking at the idea of not speaking to him again, he had to get his priorities straight.

“I will work at the fields father but don’t spread any more rumors about Wonwoo. He doesn’t deserve it.” he said intensely.

“Don’t call him _that.”_ his father spat. “He is a witch, he is not worthy of a human name. And I will spread whatever rumors I please. This is my village.” he said with finality.

“I won’t do it then. I won’t listen to you.” Mingyu pulled out all the strength that was remaining inside him to stand against his father. “I’ve been meeting with Wonwoo for weeks without you knowing, I can do it again.”

“Mingyu.”

“I’ll do it! Spread any rumors about him and I’ll keep talking to him.” Mingyu said passionately.

“You dare defy me boy?” his father yelled again. “Me? Speak to him again and I’ll burn him in front of the entire village to see! I will hold your eyes wide open as I burn him and his house so you can watch him die while knowing this was all your fault!”

Mingyu sucked in a sharp breath and felt tears gathering to his eyes. “No, please don’t-“

“Don’t you dare cry, you weak excuse of a son!” Mingyu’s father stood up and slapped him with the back of his hand. Mingyu clutched his cheek in surprise, not really registering the pain. He saw his mother averting her eyes with a sad expression, but she still made no move to defend him.

“And don’t you dare attempt to defy my word again! In this village, I hold all the power! Can you get that through your thick head, or do I need to hit you again?” his father just kept yelling, and Mingyu couldn’t stop the tears anymore. He closed his eyes and prepared himself for another hit.

A hit that never came.

“Sir, it is a Sunday tomorrow. If you bruise him, people will ask questions at the church.” Minghao was up, holding his father’s hand back in a tight grip.

“You be quiet!” his father yelled at Minghao too. “Keep your witty words to yourself, you can’t defy me either!”

Minghao’s grip got even tighter. “I can’t defy you, but you can’t defy God. Remember, he is always watching. Especially when you use unnecessary violence on your _only_ son.” he said sharply.

Minghao’s words were poison. They acted coldly and immediately. They had been just enough to knock Mingyu’s father out of his pedestal, reminding him that he was not an all-powerful being to rule them all. Minghao let go of his father’s arm, but the man didn’t attempt to strike Mingyu again. Minghao sat down next to Mingyu’s mother again, having delivered his lines with the utmost precision.

“Anyway.” Mingyu’s father cleared his throat. “Mingyu, have I been clear with my orders? Don’t speak to him ever again, no matter what. If you do, I’ll show no mercy.”

Mingyu nodded, furiously wiping any tears that sprung to his eyes. It was no use, the tears just wouldn’t stop coming. He looked so pathetic, and he feared that the more he looked like that, the more he was enraging his father.

“Get out of my sight.” his father spat. “And don’t let me catch you anywhere near the market for a week.”

Mingyu quickly got up and rushed towards the staircase. He saw Minghao getting up to follow him, but his father held him back.

“You go home.” he said coldly. “You’ve been enough of an influence on him.”

So he was taking away the only hope of comfort Mingyu had to expect that night. Mingyu ran upstairs before his father could hear him sobbing. He locked himself in his room and collapsed on his bed, letting all the tears of frustration out. He tried to be quiet, in case anyone outside his room heard.

He had failed. He had given his first ever fight against his father and he had failed miserably. Now, not only was he going to pay the price, but Wonwoo too. Mingyu felt bile rising to his throat just at the thought. Wonwoo had opened up to him, he had shared things with him that he knew would destroy him if people learned about them, but Mingyu was only going to return the favour by letting his father spread malicious rumors about him.

Wonwoo was hurting, and all Mingyu had managed to do with his cowardice was hurt him more. And the worst was that he couldn’t be there to comfort him anymore. He was going to have to leave him all alone again, toss him back to the dark void he was so desperately trying to climb out from. Mingyu sobbed to his pillow, feeling useless and miserable.

And his selfish, _selfish_ heart was yelling at him about how much it didn’t want to separate from Wonwoo. It didn’t want to stop having these random jumps of excitement every time he was around. It didn’t want to close in itself again and stop looking at the different worlds Wonwoo was jumping between. It never wanted to stop hearing the music. Even now, it held to the melody tightly, even as if everything else was snatched away from Mingyu.

He didn’t want to admit it, but he was going to miss Wonwoo so much. He had to let go of everything now. He had to forget ever meeting Wonwoo, he had to forget ever getting close to him. He had to stop thinking about how his hand fit against his, he had to forget Anpiel, and Mew and all the other little animals he had fed. He had to throw away his eagle feathered arrows. And most importantly, he had to forget about a future that didn’t bind him in the village, next to a wife and beneath his father’s rule.

“I-I’m sorry…” he whispered to the darkness.

He couldn’t bring himself to look at the sky outside. He wasn’t worthy of the stars anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So uhh I have twitter? Is this a nice time to mention this? You can come yell at me @geiameleneeleni   
> I'm a ghost on twt tho so don't expect much, I'm usually just lurking in the shadows lol. 
> 
> Thank you for reading, feedback is always appreciated! New chapter in five days!


	9. J'aimerais mieux être un oiseau

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning for this chapter :(  
> Be mindful of the tags :(

The week that followed the blowup of Mingyu’s father passed by in a blink. Mingyu woke up early, even before the sun had its chance to wake him up and light up the pretty dust specks in his room. His father escorted him to the fields, to make sure he didn’t go anywhere else, and Mingyu spent his entire day there, taking care of the trees and the crops. Sometimes, Minghao stopped by to give him some bread or fruits, but he always did it stealthily in case Mingyu’s father noticed.

Mingyu returned home exhausted. He barely stayed awake through dinner, but even in his half-asleep state he could tell that the atmosphere was always tense. Mingyu’s mother did her best to make conversation, and his father always indulged her. They talked amongst themselves, completely ignoring Mingyu, despite the side glances his mother threw at him.

Mingyu always retired earlier than them. He excused himself and fell to his bed, desperately trying to catch some sleep. Throughout the day, he did his best to keep Wonwoo out of his head. He had been miserable the first two days every time he as much as saw a bird flying above his head. His heart cried for a certain little bird that was forcefully kicked out of his life.

But as the days passed and exhaustion took over, it got a little easier. His mind stopped tormenting him with guilty thoughts when he was laying on his bed, because Mingyu fell asleep immediately. And before he knew it, the week of punishment was over.

“I’ll be watching your every move.” his father said seriously. “Don’t you dare talk to him on the market.”

“I won’t.” Mingyu said lifelessly.

As much as he missed Wonwoo, he wasn’t going to risk his life for his own selfishness. He didn’t doubt that his father was going to come through with his threat to burn him down if Mingyu disobeyed his orders.

“Here baby.” his mother handed him a basket. “Five lemons yeah? Get them and come back quickly.”

They were letting him out of the house for a few minutes at a time. Mingyu knew that the rumors about Wonwoo must have circulated by now, and he still got a few glances ever since he left the house. The villagers were slowly getting used to his presence again, and Mingyu knew that it was only a matter of days before the incident was forgotten.

That’s how it always was with the village. They erased from their memories every incident that was even a little abnormal.

Mingyu kissed his mother’s cheek dutifully and left the house. He wasn’t afraid of Kyulkyung calling him over anymore. She wouldn’t risk her customers running away if they saw Mingyu on the stall after he was supposedly bewitched, and frankly, Mingyu didn’t care about her anymore. He didn’t feel guilty ignoring her, or the rest of the girls. He had a lot more important things to feel guilty about now.

Mingyu was a few meters away from the lemon stall when he saw a familiar figure from the corner of his eyes. He couldn’t help it anymore, his senses where always on alert when it came to Wonwoo. Mingyu closed his eyes. He had to pretend to be blind again. He had to be one of those people that didn’t notice Wonwoo as he carried crates around the village.

No matter how much he tried to look away, he still somehow knew when Wonwoo was close to him. He still noticed that the crate he was holding wasn’t big, and he looked comfortable carrying it around. As comfortable as he could get when he was in the village, that was.

Mingyu kept his eyes to the ground. He was right next to his stall when Wonwoo decided to speak to him.

“Hi.” he said quietly, peeking at him shyly.

Mingyu’s heart immediately picked up its pace. This was the first time Wonwoo spoke to him first in public. He was confident enough to do that now. A few stray notes managed to make their way to Mingyu’s ears, but he mentally swatted them away. He was going to have to ignore Wonwoo and crash that confidence.

He turned his back on Wonwoo and looked at the lemons on front of him, hoping that Wonwoo would give up. He wasn’t ready to reject him again.

Unfortunately, Wonwoo decided to take a step closer to him.

“Mingyu are you okay? You were gone for a week, I was worried.” he said quietly, only for Mingyu to hear.

He must have heard the rumors about himself. He must have gotten angry, disgusted glares all week from the villagers, but he was still worried for Mingyu. Mingyu didn’t deserve him.

“Can I have five lemons Miss?” Mingyu asked the lady behind the stall, seemingly not paying any attention to Wonwoo.

“Of course.” she looked between him and Wonwoo wearily as Mingyu paid her.

Wonwoo took a step back. “Mingyu?” he said a little louder. It got the attention of some people around him, and because of that, Mingyu had to work extra hard to keep a cool face.

“Thank you Miss.” Mingyu nodded at the woman and began walking back towards his home. His father’s instructions had been clear. Not even a glance.

He could feel Wonwoo’s eyes on him as he walked away. They were probably full of surprise and betrayal, and Mingyu felt tears coming to his own eyes just at the mental image. Wonwoo trusted him, and he had went and ignored him, like everyone else. Wonwoo was calling to him, but Mingyu just shoved him back to his dark void and locked the door behind him.

Wonwoo just stood there as Mingyu walked away. He didn’t move, he didn’t try to ask for a reason about Mingyu’s behaviour. He just silently accepted the blow to his confidence passively, like he couldn’t defend himself. He had opened up to Mingyu, he had made himself vulnerable, and now Mingyu was taking advantage of that.

Ultimately, Mingyu was hurting him worse than anyone else in this village.

The rest of his walk home was blurry from the tears that Mingyu desperately held back. He couldn’t have his family see him like that. He took deep breaths and tried to forget. He tried to take the example of his village and forget his meeting with Wonwoo today. He couldn’t feel guilty for something that didn’t happen. Everything was normal. Wonwoo’s feelings didn’t matter to him.

“Welcome home baby.” his mother greeted him. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah, everything’s fine.” Mingyu said, closing the door behind him. “Here’s your lemons.” he handed her the basket.

“Thank you.” she said and pulled him down to kiss his forehead. “You’re doing good baby. Don’t worry, everything will be back to normal soon and we will continue searching for a woman for you.” she smiled at him.

Mingyu hadn’t realized he has reached such an emotional low to feel apathy at those words. He simply patted his mother’s shoulder and went up to his room.

~~~

That night, Mingyu’s father returned early from work. Mingyu could hear him talking with his mother in the ground floor, but he didn’t make a move to greet him. Things were still tense between them. He only stirred when he heard Minghao’s voice joining that of his parents.

Minghao had been unofficially punished for the stunt he pulled a week ago too. Mingyu’s father never said it explicitly, but it was clear that Minghao hadn’t been welcome in the house the days Mingyu spent at the field.

Mingyu walked down the stairs, finally feeling a sliver of happiness after all those days. Minghao was sitting with his father at the table, idly conversing. It was like nothing had ever happened between them. Mingyu was glad. He didn’t want to drug Minghao down with him too, he didn’t deserve it.

“Good evening.” Mingyu’s father greeted him when he saw him entering the room.

Mingyu startled. His father hadn’t been this polite with him for days now. “G-Good evening.” he called.

“The food isn’t ready yet, but I think it will be worth the wait.” his father smiled. He looked pleased today for some reason. Mingyu felt relieved, without really meaning too. Maybe their fight was finally over.

“You didn’t tell me, what are we eating today?” Minghao asked the man. The moment Mingyu sat on his seat, he immediately slid his hand over to him. Mingyu eagerly welcomed the support.

“Deer.” Mingyu’s father said proudly.

“Did you go hunting?” Minghao asked.

Mingyu’s father didn’t have a chance to reply as his mother entered the living room with a huge, steaming pot on her hands. It smelled heavenly. Mingyu hadn’t been eating that well the previous week, but now that he was well-rested, his appetite returned full force.

“It smells great mom.” he said.

His mother beamed at him. Those were the most words he had said during dinner for a whole week. Even if his father hadn’t shown any signs of worry for him, he knew his mother loved him too much to not be concerned.

“Careful, careful, it’s still burning hot!” she said as she placed it in the middle of the table. “It is such a happy day today.” she couldn’t help but add, her eyes falling on Minghao fondly. She had probably missed him too.

“It is indeed.” his father agreed.

Minghao squeezed Mingyu’s hand below the table. This was it then. They were slowly returning to normal. Mingyu wondered if years after today, he would sit with his wife on this very table and think back about that one time he thought it was a good idea to befriend the witch boy. Everyone would laugh at his naivety and they would return to dinner.

“Here baby.” his mother used her huge ladle to fill his plate with the meat soup. She placed a chunk of deer in the middle of his plate. It looked well cooked and soft, and Mingyu couldn’t wait to dig in. He waited for everyone to get served and when his mother sat down, he grabbed her hand for their usual prayers.

“Minghao darling.” she said. “You know I love to hear your voice.” she said.

Minghao chuckled but he began reciting the sacred words anyway. Nothing has changed. All three of Mingyu’s family members had their eyes closed as Minghao’s melodious voice filled the room, while Mingyu’s aimlessly roamed around.

They inevitably ended up on the image of the Last Supper. It was right in front of him, always looking down on them as they ate. It was almost ironic how every day they gathered to have dinner under this cloth. Mingyu had accepted that they were always going to enjoy their food there, they were never going to have a last meal on that table.

Minghao finished with the prayer, and they began eating. Mingyu had to give it to his mother. Her vegetable soups were legendary, but Mingyu preferred the deer broth. This time it tasted especially good, and the meat was extra soft.

“So Mingyu.” his father began, and Mingyu stood a little straighter to listen to him. “I saw you at the market today.” he said casually.

Mingyu stiffened a little. He had seen Wonwoo at the market today. Even though he had completely ignored him like instructed, he still got nervous about what his father might say.

“I think it is safe to assume that everything that happened is in the past now.” he said, and Mingyu tried not to visibly relax. “I mean, I told you I’ll be watching your every move, but I don’t think it will be quite necessary from now on.”

“Thank you, father.” Mingyu said politely.

“See, I told you it will only get better from now on.” his mother smiled encouragingly.

“You were right mother.” Mingyu nodded. Even though he was feeling the lightest he had all week, he still didn’t find it in himself to smile. “Your meal is quite delicious today too.” Mingyu said.

“Right?” his mother smiled proudly. “Your father brought back such a fine specimen of a deer. It practically melted in the pot.”

Mingyu took another bite out of the meat. It wasn’t often he ate such a delicacy.

“You know,” his father started saying again, “I visited Wonwoo’s house today.”

The atmosphere dropped a few degrees after those words. Mingyu glanced up at him, trying to keep his face apathetic to mask how his heart immediately started beating faster. He felt his palms getting sweaty as everyone stopped eating, silently waiting for him to continue.

“You know, I had no idea he had expanded his house in those years we have left him alone.” his father said casually. Mingyu didn’t like where this was going. Both Minghao and his mother stood very still, eyes darting between the two of them, waiting for something to happen. Mingyu’s father stared at him intensely as he said the next words.

“It was quite generous of him to gift me and the men I brought the deer he had been keeping in his backyard.” he said. “Even though its leg was injured, it is actually really tasty.”

As fast as Mingyu’s heart had picked up its rate, so suddenly he felt it stop on his chest. He suddenly was all too aware of the meat on his mouth. A wave of nausea fell over him and he spit it back on his plate.

“Mingyu-“ his mother began saying, but Mingyu wasn’t listening.

“What did you do?” he asked his father, voice dangerously low. The meat in front of him… the bones and the skin… That was Mew. That _his_ Mew. Mingyu felt like puking.

Wonwoo would never give up Mew like that. There was no way he had let his father kill him willingly.

“I did what I had to do. That will teach him to never approach you again.” his father’s voice finally turned cold. He had been planning this. He had been planning this all this time.

Something snapped inside Mingyu. He couldn’t look at the pot in front of him for a second longer. He slammed his hands on the table and looked at his father straight in the eyes.

“WHAT DID YOU DO?!” he yelled.

“Mingyu, please-“ his mother tried again.

Mingyu pushed her back. He pushed his chair back too and he kicked the table hard, causing the pot to roll over and the steaming broth to spill to the ground. Mingyu’s mother yelped and jumped behind his father.

“Mingyu. Sit. Down. Now.” his father said through greeted teeth.

“No!” Mingyu yelled and started backed away. He was losing his mind. His throat was filled with bile and his stomach had risen to his chest.

“Mingyu.” his father got up as well.

“NO!” Mingyu yelled even louder and ran out the door.

The moment the fresh air hit him, he doubled over and emptied his stomach. He felt hot tears running down his eyes from the exertion, but he didn’t give himself any time to calm down before he dashed to the road, away from his house, away from the monster that lived in there.

He had trouble breathing as he dashed to the market road.

_Wonwoo. I have to get to Wonwoo._

Running.

_Please let him be okay._

Running.

_If there’s a God out there, please._

Running.

_Please._

Running.

He could see smoke rising from the forest.

Mingyu let out a cry of desperation and ran faster, the fastest he had ever ran before.

This was not fair. He had done everything his father had asked him to do. He had done everything to protect Wonwoo from his wrath, so why?

_Why?_

Why would he do something like that?

Mingyu ran to the familiar path outside of the village, almost blind with rage and worry. Almost. He was never going to let his father truly blind him again.

Mingyu abruptly stopped when Wonwoo’s house came to view. What he saw there… He could only gape at the sight.

The roof was black, broken in half and crushed to the ground. The huge window was broken, some of the glass melted. The walls were half destroyed and blackened in parts from a fire that was no longer eating away at it. Mingyu saw the big bowl where he knew the water in the roof must have gathered. It was bent and broken, as if someone had beat it with a rock. From the little Mingyu could see inside the house, it looked like everything in there was destroyed too.

No more fluffy pillows. No more water pipes. No more huge bed with the view of the universe. No more knitted cloth with Raphael the Cat above the fireplace. No more kitchen table painted in different colours because Wonwoo always burned it when he cooked. No more workshop to find a cure for the plague.

Mingyu clutched his chest painfully, holding on to a tree to not double over. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

The backyard… there was nothing left of it. All the injured animals in there, the cats, the eagle, the squirrels… Nothing remained, not even the trees. Everything was covered in ash, dead.

And then the smell hit him. Everything smelled of ash and burnt wood. It clogged Mingyu’s nose painfully, to the point that he couldn’t breathe without choking.

In the middle of it all, sitting on the ground with his back against the wall next to what used to be the front door, there was Wonwoo. He hadn’t seen Mingyu yet. He was looking ahead with unseeing eyes, dried tears on his cheeks. It didn’t look like there were any burn marks on him, but the look in his eyes… Mingyu didn’t like that look at all. It was too empty, too defeated.

This was it. Mingyu couldn’t hear any more music coming from the void.

Wonwoo was limply holding a small vial in his hands. It was dark purple in colour. Wonwoo just held it and looked ahead with lifeless eyes.

Mingyu had never felt as scared as this moment in his life.

“Wonwoo!” he stepped out of the bushes and called loudly.

Wonwoo’s eyes met his. They were so no light in them, no curiosity, no sadness, nothing. He looked at Mingyu with this dark emptiness, and before Mingyu could react, he brought the liquid to his lips and downed it.

“No!” Mingyu yelled and quickly ran to his side. “No, no, no Wonwoo, what was that?!” he asked wildly as he kneeled down next to him.

Wonwoo wasn’t replying, so with a cry of frustration Mingyu pushed him over and put two fingers down his throat to make him puke the thing up. Wonwoo reacted then. He tried to push Mingyu away as he choked, but Mingyu just put pressure on his belly, until Wonwoo put his hands beneath him to support his weight and started retching.

“That’s it.” Mingyu said. “Puke it out.”

Wonwoo’s body convulsed, and he tried to stop, but Mingyu just squeezed him until there was no more of that purple liquid coming out. Wonwoo started breathing erratically, his hands shaking and his chest heaving.

“Why…” he said breathlessly. “Why, Mingyu, why?” he whined.

Mingyu didn’t know what to say. He pulled him back, away from the vomit and wrapped his arms tightly around him. Wonwoo began crying. It was a cursed sound of a broken man, and Mingyu felt tears running down his own cheeks at the sight. He had to put effort to hold Wonwoo still, because he was thrashing around violently, trying to get out of his hold.

“Let me go!” Wonwoo cried. “I want to go! I can’t take it anymore!”

Mingyu just held him to his chest. He knew he should be saying something to calm him down, but he was in too much of a shock to do anything else other than hold him so he couldn’t get away.

“I want to leave Mingyu. I’m not comfortable in that skin anymore, I want to go.” Wonwoo sobbed. “Please, let me go…”

His violent movements became more sluggish as the adrenaline shock passed. His breathing wasn’t getting any better though. His whole chest was heaving from the difficulty to take oxygen in and he was still crying in agony.

“Please don’t go…” Mingyu said quietly. “I won’t leave you alone ever again, I swear. It’s over now. You’ll never be alone again.” he rocked him in his arms, in attempt to ground him.

Wonwoo just cried harder.

“Why…” he said again. “W-why did this happen? Why do we live Mingyu? Why… why do we die? Why do we laugh? Why do we c-cry? I… I don’t want to do this anymore…” he said, and a whole new wave of sobbing took over his body.

He stopped trying to fight Mingyu’s embrace. Mingyu could feel the front of his shirt getting wet from all those tears. “I’m so sorry…” he whispered to Wonwoo. “Never again. You won’t have to go through this ever again.” he reassured him.

Mingyu didn’t care about what anyone said anymore. What he was seeing in this moment was enough to break years of convictions inside him. He didn’t need to gather his courage to talk to Wonwoo, he didn’t have to fight to be kind to him. He was going to stay with him no matter what, and God have mercy on whoever tried to stop him.

He was never going to leave him alone again. Not until he died. And if possible, he was going to follow him to the death too.

He let Wonwoo cry his heart out on his chest while he ran a gentle hand through his hair. This was all he could do. He couldn’t let someone as bright, as amazing as Wonwoo leave this world like that. The fact that he had tried to do just that, broke Mingyu’s heart into a million pieces.

If only he had come a little later… If he hadn’t been fast enough to make him puke up whatever poison he took…

“I won’t leave you ever again, so please don’t leave me too, okay little bird?” he said softly.

“I-I wish I was a bird…” came Wonwoo’s strangled reply. “I wish I could just fly away and leave the earth behind…”

“I would come with you.” Mingyu said. “I’m sorry it took me so long to make up my mind. I’ll go with you, wherever you want me to.”

Wonwoo wasn’t calming down, no matter what Mingyu said. It wasn’t a pretty sight. It was damn terrifying to watch a person completely break down in your arms. Mingyu had never felt as devastated in his life as he did at this moment.

Wonwoo was slowly going completely limp on his arms. He wasn’t just relaxing as time passed though, it was like he was losing the ability to hold his body on his own. Alarmed, Mingyu lifted his head up, only to see that his brown eyes were turning foggy.

“Do you hear it Mingyu?” Wonwoo said, voice completely broken. “Sometimes… I feel like I’m receiving signals from another world.”

“A-A world above ours?” Mingyu tried to keep his composure.

Wonwoo dropped all the weight of his head on Mingyu’s palm that was on his cheek. “Maybe…” he mumbled and closed his eyes.

“Hey, hey.” Mingyu tried to shake him awake. “Open your eyes.”

“Don’t wanna…” Wonwoo replied weakly.

Mingyu felt his breaths starting to get shallower again. They couldn’t stay here. He had to get Wonwoo somewhere warm, somewhere to lie down and give him lots of water. With pursed lips, Mingyu threw Wonwoo’s arm above his shoulder and with a tight grip to his waist, he lifted them both from the ground.

“Are you with me?” Mingyu asked, trying to keep the fear out of his voice.

Wonwoo hummed, and leaned his head on Mingyu’s shoulder.

“Okay… we’re getting out of here.” Mingyu said firmly.

He didn’t look back at the destroyed house he was leaving behind. A part of Wonwoo’s soul died there, and there was nothing he could do to bring it back. All he could do now, was get him out of here to safety, and make sure that nothing like that ever happened to him again.

The walk to the village was slow. Wonwoo wasn’t able to walk, so Mingyu had to carry both their weights through the forest. He mentally said goodbye to the carefully trimmed plants that surrounded the path. He was probably never returning to that place.

“Are you still conscious?” Mingyu asked once they reached the entrance of the village.

The hum Wonwoo gave him was a lot weaker than before. Mingyu tried not to panic. He looked in front of him, to the empty, quiet market road, and he had no idea where to go. For once, he felt like a stranger in his own village.

There was no way he was going back to his house. He was never stepping foot near that place ever again. But he had to get Wonwoo inside to a bed, and quickly. He closed his eyes, trying to calm down and think of a solution to his problem.

…

…

…Minghao.

Minghao hadn’t said anything as Mingyu run out of his parents’ house. Minghao had said that he was always going to be on his side.

Minghao had a house all to himself.

Mingyu hoped that he had returned to his home after the fiasco at the dinner. He knew he was expecting too much, but maybe Minghao had realized it would come to this. He was smart enough to predict that if Mingyu found Wonwoo injured, he would need a house to treat him in.

“Wonwoo, we’re going at Minghao’s place.” Mingyu said, trying to keep Wonwoo’s consciousness with him. “Can you hear me?”

Silence.

“Wonwoo?” Mingyu tried again.

No reply.

“My God…” Mingyu breathed and started walking faster. “My God, please let him be okay… Don’t let him die, I beg you.” he prayed out loud.

He took deep breaths to hold back fresh tears that sprung to his eyes. He needed to keep calm, no matter what. He would have all the time in the world to cry later, but now, he needed to keep Wonwoo alive.

When he reached Minghao’s house, he was out of breath, but he still knocked on the door loudly. It didn’t even take two seconds before he heard footsteps coming down the stairs. Minghao had been expecting him.

The door opened quickly, and Minghao groaned at the sight in front of him.

“Why did I have a feeling this was exactly how things were going to play out?” he said.

Mingyu felt relief washing over him immediately. “Can you let us in?” he said.

“I don’t know Mingyu, can I?” Minghao crossed his hands in front of his chest. “Do I risk taking the witch boy in and endanger not only myself, but how the rest of the people in this village treat me too?” he said seriously.

So this was it. The inner battle Minghao had been fighting was finally coming to an end. This was the time to prove if he had managed to become a bigger man than he had been when he first fought with Mingyu.

“Minghao…” Mingyu said. “He tried to kill himself.” he whispered.

Minghao stiffened at the words. He looked at Mingyu for a second longer and then finally, _finally_ he looked at Wonwoo. He took in his limp body, his thin wrists, his dirty face. He finally saw Wonwoo for who he truly was. A hurt man Mingyu needed to heal. Mingyu could practically see the effort Minghao put to take a small step back.

“Come in.” he said hesitantly.

Mingyu pushed Wonwoo inside with a relieved sigh, and after Minghao closed the door behind them, he threw Wonwoo’s other arm over his own shoulders and helped Mingyu carry him up the stairs.

“Gosh, he is burning up.” Minghao murmured. “What did he do?” he asked Mingyu with furrowed eyebrows.

“He drank something… I don’t know what it was. I made him puke it up immediately, but some of it must have gotten to him.” Mingyu explained.

“You made sure he puked it all up?” Minghao asked.

“Yes, completely sure.” Mingyu nodded.

When they reached the first floor where Minghao’s bedroom was, they carefully laid Wonwoo on the bed. Minghao straightened his back with a grunt and reached for his closet.

“I don’t think he is in danger. This reaction is probably natural if he drunk poison.” he said, as he picked some oversized clothes from his closet. “Here.” he threw them at Mingyu. “Dress him up. His clothes are full of dirt.” he said and headed downstairs.

“Where are you going?” Mingyu clutched the fresh clothes to his hand tightly.

“I’m going to warm up some water and get towels. We need to help him with the fever.” Minghao said, disappearing to the ground floor.

Mingyu’s hands were shaking as he kneeled on the bed next to Wonwoo. His face was so pale. His chest was barely moving as he breathed with difficulty. If there wasn’t a slight frown on his brow, if his face was calm and apathetic, Mingyu might have thought he had been too late.

 _No. It’s not too late, he is going to be fine,_ he said to himself firmly. He slightly lifted Wonwoo’s torso to slide his shirt off him. He remembered how embarrassed he had been all these days ago when he had seen Wonwoo shirtless for the first time. It seemed too far away now, too unimportant.

Now, Mingyu has seen a part of Wonwoo that was a lot more naked than his bare skin. He saw Wonwoo at the brink of death, he saw him at his most vulnerable. Now, instead of getting flustered at the sight of his chest, Mingyu was just glad he could see it rising and falling.

He pulled Minghao’s shirt down Wonwoo’s body and carefully slid his hands inside the sleeves. It fit him just fine. He probably weighed as much as Minghao, but while Minghao’s body was naturally slim as a stick, Mingyu had a feeling that wasn’t the case with Wonwoo.

Mingyu didn’t get flustered even as he unbuckled his pants and took them off. Wonwoo’s thighs were as milky white as the rest of his body and unblemished. His hipbones were visible, his skin stretching around them. Mingyu sighed and made a silent promise to himself that he was going to make him put on some weight from now on. He was going to watch over his meals like a hawk. No more skipping breakfast or feeding meat to the cats when he obviously needed it more than them.

Only… there were no more cats to feed… Mingyu cursed below his breath, praying that they hadn’t made Wonwoo watch his beloved pets burn. His father was such a cruel man. The animals had been innocent, but he still went and painfully killed them all.

There was no Anpiel to watch over his little bird anymore. Mingyu was going to have to take over his job.

After he put the new pants on Wonwoo’s limp legs and put clean socks on his feet, he lifted him a bit to grab the covers of the bed underneath him and place them around him. Minghao was right when he said he was burning up. Wonwoo’s his skin was on fire, especially on his forehead. Mingyu brushed a few strands of hair away from his eyes and leaned down to kiss his forehead.

“It’s over now.” he murmured. “We’ll take care of you, you can rest.”

Minghao was back a few minutes later with a bunch of towels and two buckets of water, one warm, one cold. He placed them on the ground next to Mingyu’s legs, and he dropped the towels on the bed.

“Has he moved at all?” he asked.

Mingyu shook his head.

“Okay. It doesn’t matter.” Minghao sighed. “Take one of the towels, wet it with the warm water and try to clean his face and hands. I don’t want ash and dirt on my bed.”

Mingyu did as told. He took the fluffiest looking towel, wetted it and began to rub Wonwoo’s cheeks, as gently as possible to not hurt him. He carefully wiped around his mouth too to clean any leftover puke. He also cleaned his forehead, and his neck, until the white towel turned gray and Wonwoo’s skin was spotless.

When he moved to Wonwoo’s hands, Minghao placed a towel dipped in cold water over Wonwoo’s forehead and another one beneath his neck. “Let’s hope those will help.” he muttered.

“Can we give him something to drink too? He lost a lot of fluids.” Mingyu said, spreading his towel at the foot of the bed to dry.

“Yeah, you’re right.” Minghao said and went to the kitchen. He returned with a flask of clean water and a wooden, empty bucket that he placed next to the other two. “In case he needs to puke more.” he said. He handed the flask to Mingyu, while glancing at Wonwoo’s unconscious face again. “Try to give him as much as possible.” he said and stretched his arms above his head with a groan. “I’ll go find somewhere to sleep. If you need anything until morning, yell.”

Mingyu nodded. “Thank you, Hao. I… I don’t know what I would have done without you today.” he said tiredly.

“Don’t mention it.” Minghao patted his shoulder. “If this is what you truly want, take good care of him.” he said.

“I will.” Mingyu said with certainty, grabbing Wonwoo’s hand between his own. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.” Minghao replied and disappeared down the stairs.

The moment he was gone, Mingyu placed his head in his palms and exhaled deeply. _It’s okay, we’re safe now,_ he kept repeating to himself. He couldn’t think about what was going to happen the next day. He couldn’t imagine how his father was going to react at his actions, what else he was going to do. A part of him was always going to be scared of his father.

He tried to focus on the present instead, and how to get both him and Wonwoo through the night. He lifted Wonwoo’s head gently and pressed the flask of water on his parted lips, trying to get him to swallow. Wonwoo was completely unresponsive. A few drops of water ran down his chin, and Mingyu used another towel to wipe them. He tried again, and again, getting as much water in Wonwoo as possible without choking him. When he was done, Mingyu lifted the covers and lied on the bed next to the other. He left the lantern on to illuminate the room softly, in case there was any sudden action.

The room was filled with silence after that. Mingyu tried to breathe quietly, so he could focus on Wonwoo’s breaths instead. They weren’t steady yet, but they had gotten a bit deeper than before. He began counting the seconds between every inhale and exhale, while watching his face closely.

From the way his black hair fell limply around his eyes, to the way his eyelashes softly touched his cheekbones, everything about Wonwoo’s face at this moment looked fragile to Mingyu. This night was going to haunt him for the rest of his life, he knew it even though it was still far from over. He wrapped an arm around Wonwoo’s slim waist and the other below his neck and pulled him in his hug.

He was never going to leave him alone again, _never._ He buried his face in his hair and closed his eyes, trying to memorize the feeling of Wonwoo’s body pressed against his. He didn’t care who he was going to fight to stay by his side. If he had to leave the village, so be it. If he had to spend every moment of the day working so he could provide Wonwoo a home and food, he was ready to slave away. Anything so he didn’t have to watch his eyes turning glassy again.

The only thing Mingyu could think in the quietness of the room was how he was going to protect him from now on. All the other useless emotions were pushed to the side as he held him, until he could only feel Wonwoo’s heartbeat against his own. That was all that mattered.

Mingyu couldn’t hear music from the void anymore. It was painful, but maybe it was a sign that he was finally starting to get Wonwoo out of there.

~~~

Mingyu must have dozed off at some point. He senses were on full alert to every little change in Wonwoo’s condition, but there had been none for at least three hours. That changed however when he felt Wonwoo stirring next to him weakly.

Mingyu’s eyes flew open in a heartbeat. “Wonwoo? Can you hear me?” he asked urgently.

Wonwoo mumbled something and kept stirring, eyes still closed and brow furrowed.

“Wonwoo what’s wrong? Tell me, I’ll help you.” Mingyu stood on his knees, leaning over the other on the bed.

Wonwoo’s breaths started getting short and erratic again. Mingyu was ready to call Minghao for help when Wonwoo let out a pained sound and jumped out of the bed to the floor. His hands instinctively grabbed the empty bucket and he started emptying his stomach again.

“Shit.” Mingyu cursed and fell next to him. He placed an arm at the small of his back to support his hunched over body, and brushed his hair back with the other. “It’s okay…” he mumbled. “That’s good, get everything out.”

There were tears streaming down Wonwoo’s face as he retched. His hand reached to the front of Mingyu’s shirt for support, and Mingyu placed a kiss on his shoulder. “It’s okay, I’m here… I’m not going anywhere.” he repeated for good measure.

He could tell when Wonwoo was done, because his whole body slumped down and Mingyu had to pull him back before he toppled the bucket. Wonwoo sniffed and tried to wipe his eyes with his hand, but he was too weak and his body was shivering too much to support it long enough.

Mingyu placed another kiss on his temple and lifted him up bridal style to place him on the bed again. “Are you feeling better?” he asked, getting a towel with warm water to wipe his mouth and the sweat that has formed on his forehead.

Wonwoo grunted as a response, and Mingyu didn’t know if it was positive or negative. He brought the flask of water to his mouth again and instructed him to just wash his mouth and spit it at the bucket. Wonwoo was barely conscious, but he managed to do it. Mingyu lowered him back on the pillow again and took the bucket with the puke away, somewhere that it wouldn’t smell.

Wonwoo looked at him half lidded eyes as he returned and started placing fresh towels with cool water on his body for the fever. Mingyu smiled at him encouragingly.

“It hurts…” Wonwoo mumbled, turning his head to the side.

“What?” Mingyu was next to his face in a heartbeat. “What hurts?” he tried to keep the alarm out of his voice.

“Stomach…” Wonwoo’s voice was barely a whisper. “And head…”

“It’s…” Mingyu tried his best to be logical and not let his fear get the better of him. “Your head is probably from the fever. And your stomach hurts because it got kind of abused today.” he nodded with certainty. “Don’t worry. I’m sure it will pass.” he said and kissed the top of his head.

Wonwoo let out a small sound and let his eyes shut again. Mingyu quickly placed everything away and climbed on the bed next to him again. He was less worried this time as Wonwoo seemed to be slipping out of awareness. He wrapped his arms around him again, as gently as possible and pulled him to rest against his chest.

This time, Wonwoo pressed his face closer, as much as his strength allowed him, and slowly slid his arm over Mingyu’s body to hold him as well.

 _It’s okay, we’re okay,_ Mingyu kept repeating to himself as he stared at the ceiling of Minghao’s bedroom, letting Wonwoo get as much comfort from his body as possible.

~~~

Mingyu didn’t realize when he fell asleep. It was like his mind was drifting in and out of consciousness for hours after Wonwoo’s breaths finally became steady. Mingyu didn’t dare move a muscle, in fear of disturbing the other’s sleeping position.

Wonwoo was snuggly tucked against him. At some point, he threw a leg over Mingyu’s own, leaving absolutely no room between them. Mingyu fell asleep like that, lulled by the soft puffs of air on his chest and the warmth radiating from the body next to his.

He only realized he had fallen asleep when he opened his eyes, only to see the room bathed in the morning light that was filtering through the small window to the left of the bed. Mingyu blinked the sleep away and he quickly looked down to his side, where Wonwoo was still hugging him.

Mingyu was surprised to find that his eyes were open as well. His breathing was still the same as it was when he had been asleep, and his head was still nestled between Mingyu’s arm and his chest. If his eyes hadn’t been open, there would have been no other indication that he was awake.

Wonwoo was staring outside the window at the sky, eyes tired but vigilant. Alive. He seemed lost in thought, and Mingyu wondered what must have been going through his head at a time like this. Even if he had always been able to guess what Wonwoo was thinking, which he never had, Mingyu felt like this time his thoughts would be above his comprehension.

Last night Wonwoo had been to a place Mingyu hadn’t even dreamt of approaching. What he saw there, what he felt, Mingyu was terrified to even attempt to understand. All he could do was hold Wonwoo’s hand and bring him back here to him.

“Hey…” he said, running a hand through Wonwoo’s hair. His voice sounded deep and hoarse from sleep. “Good morning.” 

“Hi.” Wonwoo replied quietly, eyes still locked to the window.

Mingyu let a few moments pass to allow both Wonwoo and himself to get used to being that close while they were both awake. Mingyu didn’t want to startle him at this point. He kept touching him subtly, either with a hand through his hair, or a gentle touch at his waist, to get him used to his presence. Wonwoo didn’t seem like he acknowledged it in the beginning, but after a while, he pressed his cheek closer to Mingyu’s chest.

Mingyu deemed this an appropriate time to speak again. “Remember last time we woke up together?” he said lightly. “I was a panicked mess.” he recalled. “I had acted so weird the previous night, and I still don’t know why. I was mortified.”

Wonwoo sighed softly, but didn’t react otherwise. _What world are you in right now,_ Mingyu silently wondered. Wonwoo’s eyes seemed to stare at something beyond the sky outside, beyond the white clouds. His gaze danced with the rays of sun, tangling between them and piercing the horizon. Mingyu had a feeling he didn’t need them to see whatever he was seeing in his mind right now.

Mingyu closed his eyes and tried to imagine another world too. He tried to let his mind go out of his head and start travelling to places far away, where the rays of the sun wouldn’t be needed to look around. Wonwoo seemed to always do that so easily. He travelled to places like these and brought back ideas that were previously unheard of. He saw endless possibilities and found inspiration to create.

Mingyu couldn’t do that. His mind didn’t reach that far. He put all his concentration in trying to take a small glimpse of worlds above, below or inside the earth he was walking, but all he could see was Wonwoo’s back, jumping between the points of view. Mingyu wanted to follow him. He had never wanted anything in his life more than that.

“Why…” Wonwoo’s small voice abruptly brought him back to reality. “Why did you ignore me at the market?” he asked hesitantly.

Mingyu didn’t know if it was because he had been trying to get in the same wavelength as Wonwoo before, but for what maybe was the first time, he could actually feel the depth of Wonwoo’s pain as he asked that simple question.

“It was because of my father. He threatened to hurt you if I ever spoke to you again.” Mingyu said, feeling angry at himself for actually listening to the man now. His grip tightened on Wonwoo. “Never again.” he said. “I won’t listen to him ever again.”

Mingyu was done following his father. He had someone a lot brighter to follow now.

“I’m sorry.” he said. “I… I was too weak. But you gave me all the strength I needed to defy him. I won’t ever leave you alone again, not unless you want me to.”

As he spoke, he grabbed Wonwoo’s hand and held it to his heart to seal the promise. It was beating slowly but loudly in his chest, and now Wonwoo could feel it too. He finally turned his head to look at him. Mingyu was almost nervous to meet his eyes again. There was inevitably something different in there, something more mature, something that somehow betrayed the journey with no return Wonwoo had almost embarked on.

He looked at Mingyu deeper than he ever had, and Mingyu returned his gaze readily. He felt his eyes sinking all the way to his soul, as if his body was transparent. He looked at him contemplatively for a long time, and for the life of him, Mingyu couldn’t look away.

“In the end,” Wonwoo said at some point, slowly and clearly. “At the very end, everyone will be alone. I saw it.”

Mingyu listened to him with parted lips, as if he was in a trance. Wonwoo traced a small circle on Mingyu’s chest right above his heart with his fingertips.

“Don’t promise me that you’ll always be with me, because you won’t, and that’s okay.” he continued. “I… I understand that you care about me, and I care about you too. That’s all we can offer to each other in this world.”

Mingyu felt the words spreading inside him, expanding all around him. The power Wonwoo held over him in this moment was nothing like he had ever felt in the past. He couldn’t move, he couldn’t speak, he almost couldn’t breathe.

The time only seemed to move on when Wonwoo looked away. He sighed deeply and threw the blanket that was around them both to the side. He sat up and stretched his arms above his head with a groan. A part of Mingyu was glad to see that he could move his limbs freely again, without any pain or trembling. The effects of whatever amount of poison had managed to get in his system were thankfully gone.

Wonwoo climbed over him and stood on the floor. He briefly looked around him, taking in all the towels and the buckets that were spread around the room. He rubbed the long sleeve of his shirt too, feeling the foreign material against his skin. Mingyu wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t remember much of the previous night. The fever combined with the emotional trauma weren’t kind to the memory.

But Mingyu was certain he remembered enough. Wonwoo sighed and bit his lips before crossing his hands in front of his chest. “I’m sorry.” he said in the end.

Mingyu immediately sat up, ready to protest that he had nothing to be sorry of, but Wonwoo continued before he had a chance. “It doesn’t… It doesn’t take long.” he said shakily. “It only takes a moment of weakness and everything is over. It takes a mere moment to make a decision that can cost you your future. It… it only takes another moment to regret it, but it is a moment too late.” he took a deep breath and turned to Mingyu. “So this was my moment of weakness. I’m sorry you had to witness it, but I can’t help but feel thankful too. I’ll try to get stronger from now on so it won’t come to this again.”

Mingyu was awed. There was no other way to put it. He watched as Wonwoo tried to pull himself together, he watched every expression his face took. Fear, acceptance, determination, everything was right there for Mingyu to see. Wonwoo was slowly backing away from the edge of the cliff and it was a sight to see.

Even in his weakest moment, Wonwoo was strong.

Even at the moment that was supposed to be his worst, he was the most amazing person Mingyu had ever met. Wonwoo walked to the window and looked down at the street below, at all the people that hated him, and he remained standing tall. He silently looked down on them from above, arms crossed against his chest, and it was amazing how deeply it affected Mingyu.

He admired Wonwoo, who was half out of this world. He wanted to protect him, be his shield against anyone who wanted to weaken him like they had done yesterday. He wanted to be his wings so he could fly above the rest of the puny, miserable humans around him, he wanted to be his legs so he could freely run amongst his beloved animals.

Mingyu felt a sudden surge of emotion feeling him. It was not fear, or anxiety or anything of the like. This was…

This was how he imagined he would feel for the woman he got married to.

He looked at Wonwoo and his heart jumped, awakened. There were a million colours blooming before his eyes. The longer Mingyu looked, the longer he thought about everything Wonwoo meant to him, the more the colours spread. They expanded and multiplied, creating more hues than Mingyu even knew existed, until they started leaking into different worlds, above, below and all in between. Mingyu had to remember how to breathe all over again.

“Wonwoo.” he called. He couldn’t possibly keep such a feeling inside him, not when it could help fill Wonwoo’s dark void with colours and seal it close once and for all.

Wonwoo turned his attention away from the window and looked at him expectantly. Even now, he looked so beautiful.

“I think I’m falling in love with you.”

There were birds singing in the distance again. The music was back.

Wonwoo’s lips slightly parted in surprise.

“You were wrong.” Mingyu gulped. “I care about my parents, I care about Minghao but you… I’m falling in love with you. _This_ is what I can offer you in this world.”

There was no way Mingyu could have expected Wonwoo’s reaction to that. He never had, and he never would. Wonwoo was always different, unique. That was one of the reasons he was falling for him after all.

So Mingyu didn’t expect the sad smile that Wonwoo gave him after he took it all in. It was as haunting as it was mesmerizing. Wonwoo let his hands drop to his sides and walked back to the bed. He sat down in front of Mingyu, and before Mingyu could realize what was happening, Wonwoo was leaning towards him and gently pressing their lips together.

It spread the sweetest satisfaction inside Mingyu’s body. Like everything else, he hadn’t expected it. How could he have? Wonwoo kissed him softly and slowly, working his mouth open to share with him a calm acceptance. Mingyu’s mind got hazy under the tender touch. The kiss was everything he hadn’t known he needed and Wonwoo… if Mingyu wanted to be honest with himself, he had realized he needed him a long time ago.

The kiss was too short. Wonwoo leaned back after barely a taste, leaving Mingyu craving for more. He was feeling dazed, desperately aching for everything that was Wonwoo.

But for some reason, Wonwoo was still looking at him with a sad expression. As overwhelmed as Mingyu was, it rang alarm bells at the back of his mind.

“I have tried to poison you before.” Wonwoo said softly, his eyes falling to the floor.

“W-what?” Mingyu asked confused.

“The first time when you came to my home. I had just finished with the first version of the cure that the monks have come up with, the one that didn’t end up working. I poured it in the soup I gave you and used you as a test subject. I could have killed you.” Wonwoo confessed.

Oh. That explained the weird, bubbly feeling Mingyu had had that night. It explained the concerned questions Wonwoo had kept asking him and the quiet apology he had mumbled before he fell asleep. It explained the nasty fever the next night.

“I’m not as innocent as you think I am.” Wonwoo practically whispered. Their faces were still so close. “This was the kiss Judas gave to Jesus after the Last Supper.” he brushed his thumb on Mingyu’s lower lip. “You don’t know all of me. I have to warn you because I really… really care about you. Please back away now that you still have the chance. I am poison, Mingyu.” his voice broke at the end.

It hadn’t tasted like poison. It had tasted like freedom. It had tasted like another world, one that didn’t cut down Wonwoo’s wings and made him walk among the mortals. It had tasted of the sky, it had tasted of the moon, it had tasted like any place other than the earth where Wonwoo was bound to slave away.

Mingyu was unimportant. If he had died back then, he would have died like any other normal, boring human. His life didn’t have any meaning, not until he met the other. Wonwoo thought that Mingyu would feel hurt when he told him he almost poisoned him. He thought that was pushing him away. Mingyu almost laughed at the thought.

“Wonwoo.” he said and bumped their foreheads together. “I will flip this world upside down so you can look at it from above.”

Wonwoo inhaled sharply. He looked at Mingyu with wide eyes, as surprised as he had been when he had first seen him on his doorstep with a pot full of vegetable soup. Only now, there was also desire there too. And feeling desire, meant feeling a will to live.

Mingyu leaned in to kiss him again. Before their lips could touch though, there were loud footsteps coming up the stairs.

“Mingyu!” Minghao yelled.

Wonwoo pulled back quickly and they both turned to look at a frantic Minghao practically flying up to them. Mingyu immediately stood up in front of Wonwoo.

“What’s wrong?” he asked alarmed.

Minghao barely glanced at Wonwoo before he cursed loudly. “It’s your father Mingyu! He told everyone you were put under a spell to become his friend.” he pointed at Wonwoo. “There is an angry mob gathering outside my house as we speak. They have torches and rakes and it’s really bad!” he said desperately.

“Shit.” Mingyu cursed. “How much time do we have?”

“Honestly? Not at all. They’re kicking the door down any minute now and I can’t stop them. Your father is furious, he won’t rest until your _boyfriend_ is dead.” Minghao said.

Under other circumstances, Mingyu would have felt embarrassed at the term boyfriend, but now all he could do was pull Wonwoo up by the arm and look around him frantically.

“We have to get out of here.” he said urgently. “Now.”

Suddenly, loud, angry knocks sounded on the door downstairs. “ _Minghao open up! It’s for your own good!”_ the voices of the crowd reached their ears.

Wonwoo shrank on Mingyu’s side, as if he was physically trying to get away from the sounds.

“The kitchen. You have to jump out of the back window.” Minghao said and pushed them towards the next room over.

They practically ran to the small window at the other side of the first floor. Minghao opened it wide, and with the fresh air that hit them came the smell of torches burning from the front of the house. The knocks got louder, and Wonwoo closed his eyes in fear.

“Don’t be scared.” Minghao told him firmly. “Jung’s barn is on the next street. Take a donkey and get out of here, both of you. You… you’ll be okay.” he said the last words, looking at Mingyu intensely.

“Are _you_ going to be okay?” Mingyu asked worriedly.

“Of course I will, I’m the mayors adopted son.” Minghao rolled his eyes. The banging on the door kept getting louder and louder, until a cracking sound reached upstairs. “Go!” Minghao yelled, all but pushing him out of the window.

“Come on.” Mingyu helped Wonwoo climb on the ledge and quickly joined him. “Take care Hao.” he grabbed Minghao’s hand one last time.

Minghao sniffed, trying to hide the tears that were rapidly springing to his eyes. “Be happy.”

The door downstairs broke down and the voices got louder. Mingyu looked at his best friend, his brother, his strength and support through his entire life one last time. Then, he grabbed Wonwoo’s waist tightly and jumped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)


	10. Je suis mal dans ma peau

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!   
> You made it past chapter 9 yay! Fun fact, I cried just thinking about writing the last chapter. This was a challenge for me, especially the part with Mew.   
> Now that you have made it that far in to this story, I hope you have listened to the song S.O.S by Dimash, which was my whole inspiration for this. I have linked it before, and I'm linking it again. Turn on subtitles.
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W29zEuZVaxs&t=2s
> 
> Now let's go!

There was a brief moment when all Mingyu could feel around him was air. The gravity was pulling him down quickly, but there was this tiny second when it truly felt like he had leaped to emptiness, without anything to ground him. It was an exhilarating feeling. He almost felt like a bird at its first flight.

Then, he crashed to the ground.

Mingyu grunted in pain as his feet took most of the damage. He held Wonwoo tightly to his chest so he could cushion him from the soil and the rocks as they rolled towards the street.

Wonwoo hadn’t made a peep of complaint. It didn’t put Mingyu at ease, because he had seen first-hand how terribly experienced Wonwoo was at hiding his pain. If he had more time, he would have thoroughly checked on him before he let him stand up again, but the clock was ticking.

Mingyu quickly pulled them both up and began running away, dragging Wonwoo from the hand. It was only a matter of time until someone saw them and then, the mob that had gathered at the front of Minghao’s house would be on their heels.

They had to get to Jung’s barn before that. They took a sharp turn to the left and kept running like they were being chased. Mingyu had never felt more relieved to see the old wooden barn that stank of donkey shit and old cows. The chicken were clucking loudly and quickly strutting out of their way as they ran inside, where Jung kept his donkeys tied up. Mingyu went to the largest looking and began to untie it from the wooden stick it casually resting against.

“Will it be able to carry both our weights?” Wonwoo asked, lightly patting the animal’s nose.

“It will have to.” Mingyu said with pursed lips. He took the rope that was loosely tied against its neck and brought it closer to the big double doors of the barn. He genuinely hoped the donkey was domesticated enough to not kick him in the face as he slid one leg over his back.

Mingyu ran a soothing hand down the animal’s neck and carefully placed a bridle over its face. It made a disgruntled sound at the motion and began swaying it back legs dangerously, but Wonwoo was in front of it in a heartbeat, calming it down. He had a way with animals, be it squirrels, wild cats, or donkeys, apparently. At this point, Mingyu wouldn’t have been surprised if he had went hunting with a wolf before.

“Come on, get on.” Mingyu said, sliding closer to the animal’s neck so Wonwoo could climb behind him.

With one last pat at its nose, Wonwoo walked behind Mingyu and got on the back of the animal with one swift motion. He placed one hand on Mingyu’s thigh to balance himself, and Mingyu placed his own hand above it.

“Don’t fall off, okay?” he called. Wonwoo rubbed his knuckles with his thumb comfortingly as a reply.

And that was it.

Mingyu pressed his feet to the side of the donkey hard, getting it to go as fast as its heavy body allowed it to. It let out a squeak and ran.

Mingyu wasn’t paying attention as the streets of the village zoomed past him one last time. He didn’t look at the houses of his people, he didn’t look at the playground in the distance. He only focused on the sight ahead of him, on the bright morning sun and the wind that hit his face.

They finally reached the market road and this time, it was harder for Mingyu to not look. Many stalls were closed, because their owners were gathering in the quest to hunt down and burn Wonwoo. The few that saw them run by began yelling at their fellow villagers, alerting everyone that Mingyu and Wonwoo were escaping.

But it didn’t matter anymore. The village was small and insignificant compared to the world Mingyu was running to atop the donkey. The colours of the market were bright, happy and welcoming, but the colours Mingyu saw as Wonwoo hugged his back to keep himself steady were even brighter, happier and more welcoming.

They charged through the exit of the village, beyond the wooden fences, and they were finally free. They had a crowd chasing them, but they would soon tire out and stop. It was hard to follow their trail in the forest, and Mingyu knew his father wouldn’t risk it.

He had done it. He had finally freed Wonwoo from the abuse of his people. He had no idea where he was going to take him now, he knew nothing of the places further away from the forest that surrounded his village, but he was finally taking Wonwoo away and that was all that mattered.

~~~

A couple of hours later, reality started to catch up with him.

They had stopped on a small clearing to let the donkey rest for a bit. Wonwoo was quietly sitting on the ground next to it, drawing absent-minded shapes to the soil with a stick. He was too quiet, and he had been for the past half hour. Wonwoo hadn’t always been a chatterbox or anything, but Mingyu could tell a comfortable silence apart from a forced one.

He had realized something was wrong when Wonwoo started wrapping himself more tightly around him. He had been resting his head against Mingyu’s shoulder in their entire trip, serenely gazing at the trees around them, but suddenly, about half an hour ago, he began pressing his forehead against his back with small sighs leaving his lips. When Mingyu asked if he was okay, Wonwoo just replied with “fine” and “keep going”.

He wasn’t fine though. He kept getting weaker as time passed and Mingyu had to stop himself from cursing out loud. He had been too quick to assume that Wonwoo was healthy again so quickly after everything his body went through with the poison.

Mingyu let out a deep sigh and took off his shirt to drape it over the other’s slouched shoulders. He would probably get cold in just his undershirt, but he couldn’t care less. If Wonwoo was starting to raise a fever again, he needed to protect him from the wind. Wonwoo didn’t fight the extra warmth, which was all the more indication that there something was wrong with him.

“We need to start a fire.” Mingyu said, sitting down next to him and pulling him to his arms. “You’re in no condition to keep traveling like this.”

“It will be dangerous.” Wonwoo replied.

Mingyu sighed again. “We don’t have a choice.”

He regretted setting out without a destination in mind. This wasn’t an adventure he was embarking on, this wasn’t an exciting voyage to the unknown. The grim truth was that they were running away, they were fugitives. Mingyu had to fend for both himself and Wonwoo now, at least as long as he was sick. That would be much easier to do if they had a roof over their heads.

“You know…” Wonwoo began, commanding all of Mingyu’s attention to himself. “The monastery should not be far from here.”

“The monastery? Where you grew up?” Mingyu’s interest sparked.

“Yeah. I don’t know if they’ll be of any help but… I don’t want you to stay out here with the wolves for an entire night, not for me.”

Even now, Wonwoo was worrying about him. Even as his head was getting warmer and warmer from the slow rise of a fever, his kindness was unrivaled.

“How far away is the monastery?” Mingyu asked him, brushing a strand of his hair back softly.

“I can’t be certain, but we’re close. We just have to go up.” Wonwoo leaned into the touch.

So up they went.

There was no point staying in that clearing any longer. They didn’t have any food or water neither for themselves nor for the donkey. If what Wonwoo had said was right, reaching the monastery before the sun set was their best chance of survival. Mingyu picked Wonwoo up to place him on the back of the animal again and climbed in front of him. After he made sure Wonwoo was holding him tightly, they were off.

Climbing the mountain was not an easy task for a single donkey with two grow men on its back. Mingyu led it through the faint trail that led upwards, but he could tell the animal was struggling.

“If you make it to the monastery, I promise I will give you all the water and food you deserve. I’ll even give you massages for all your trouble.” Mingyu encouraged it.

“What’s her name?” Wonwoo asked suddenly. He was leaning heavily against Mingyu’s back, face laying between Mingyu’s shoulder blades. _I’ll give you all the water and food and massages you need too if you make it to the monastery while conscious,_ Mingyu thought.

“How do you know it’s a she?” he said instead.

“I saw her behind. It’s really not hard to tell males and females apart.” he felt Wonwoo shrugging lightly.

Mingyu had grown up with a barn behind his house. He had learned to tell apart male and female animals ever since he was a kid. It just hadn’t even crossed his mind to check the donkey’s gender while they were running away from home. There were more important things to worry about, especially with how Wonwoo’s voice seemed to be getting weaker as time passed.

But well, Wonwoo was Wonwoo. The things he noticed never made sense to Mingyu.

“You’re the naming expert here.” he told Wonwoo. “Go off.”

“Hmm…” Wonwoo shifted a bit behind him. “Let me think about it.”

Mingyu let him get lost to his thoughts again. He was a bit grateful that now he knew what was occupying his mind. There was nothing dark or dangerous about thinking names for an animal, so Mingyu could finally stop feeling worried. Plus, if Wonwoo kept his mind busy like that, there was less of a chance to fall unconscious. Naming the donkey was a great distraction for him.

A long time passed since they last talked. The sun was directly above them now and starting to descent to the horizon. Mingyu couldn’t help but wonder how Minghao had managed to deal with the situation he had left him in. It was a fortunate thing he had never been afraid to deal with Mingyu’s father, even when the man was at his worst. Mingyu’s family must have been a mess at this point. Hell, the whole village must have been a mess. The son of the mayor running away with the witch boy… Things like that were unheard of. In all the years Mingyu had been alive, nothing as shocking as this has happened to their small community.

It was a bittersweet feeling to not care about what the people thought anymore. He felt like he was leaving a big part of himself behind, below his favourite orange tree to stare at the passersby. He left behind the fields, and all the work he had put in them. He left behind his friends to fend for themselves. They were going to have to deal with marriage sooner or later, and from the brief experience Mingyu had of those arranged family meetings, the pressure for everyone would be tremendous.

He didn’t feel bad anymore. This was no longer his problem. The only one who he had decided to keep close to his heart no matter was Minghao. The boy had been a true brother until the end. He had managed to overcome himself and the narrow-minded thinking the village had caused him to develop. In the end, he had pushed beyond his limits and evolved as a person so he could help Mingyu. Minghao had made it. He had won his battle. Mingyu couldn’t have been any prouder of him. 

“…Arielle.” came a quiet voice then.

“What?” Mingyu turned his head back to look at Wonwoo, only to see that his eyes were closed, tired.

“The donkey. Arielle.” he repeated, the words struggling to go past his lips.

“Arielle, the lion of God?” Mingyu couldn’t help but smile. Of course Wonwoo would call their donkey a lion. Of course.

Wonwoo smiled too, barely visible. He didn’t have the strength to reply. He just snuggled closer to Mingyu, forehead burning. Mingyu sighed and turned back around.

“Arielle it is then.” he said, rubbing Wonwoo’s hand that was clutching his shirt. He looked up to the sun then, sending a small prayer between the rays that blinded him.

_Please God, give him strength. Please don’t take him away from me now that I have found him._

~~~

The sun was dangerously low on the horizon, and there was still no monastery in view. Mingyu didn’t want to admit it, but he was starting to get scared. What if Wonwoo had been wrong? He didn’t know the mountain that well after all, maybe he had been mistaken when he said that the monastery was close.

Exhaustion was starting to take over them all. Even the donkey had gotten slower, its legs trembling when it took a particularly large step. They were all thirsty and hungry, and now that the sun was finally going down, they were inevitably going to get cold too. Mingyu bit his teeth and tried to remain calm, but hopelessness was slowly chipping away at his determination.

And then, despite being barely conscious anymore, Wonwoo spoke.

“The sunset is beautiful from up there.”

Mingyu’s heart skipped a beat.

“Up… where?”

“ _There._ ” Wonwoo whispered. “I’ll show you one day.”

_God, please,_ Mingyu could only beg at this point, _just a little longer._

The forest was painted in different hues of orange and brown, the shadows rapidly growing the more the sun dropped out of sight. It could have been beautiful, Mingyu supposed. Maybe if things were different, he could have looked around him and enjoyed the view.

Maybe if things were different, he could have even gotten Wonwoo to explain just what he was seeing exactly. Mingyu had a feeling that they weren’t looking at the same sky at this moment.

Wonwoo let out a shallow sigh and pressed his face to the back of Mingyu’s neck. He was warm, too warm. Mingyu let his eyes close for a second and felt the small breaths Wonwoo was letting out against his skin. It tingled in a way that was far from unpleasant, but Mingyu couldn’t enjoy it, not now that he knew Wonwoo barely had any control of his actions.

Wonwoo’s hands that were loosely wrapped around Mingyu’s waist suddenly began fumbling with his undershirt, and they found their way below it. Mingyu held his breath as he felt the other’s fingers, almost burning from the fever, press against the skin above his waist. Wonwoo sighed again as he absent-mindedly traced shapes with his thumbs there.

“It’s cold…” he muttered.

Mingyu gulped, but made no move to push him away. Even though he was scorching hot to the touch, Wonwoo was feeling cold because of that damn fever that kept rising. His hands were simply searching for warmth. Mingyu wasn’t going to deny it to him, not when Wonwoo had been patiently suffering through the entire day without complaint.

“We’ll reach the monastery soon.” Mingyu said through gritted teeth. “I’ll take care of you there.” he said, trying to not lose that little hope that was still inside him.

Wonwoo didn’t grace him with an answer. Mingyu didn’t even know if he had heard him. He only spoke again a few minutes after.

“Do you… do you want me to show you?” he asked, the hesitance obvious even in the state his voice was. “The sunset… maybe you don’t want me to show you.”

He still sounded so sad, so dejected. Mingyu wondered how deep the roots of loneliness and rejection reached in him.

“I want you to show me everything.” Mingyu said slowly, making sure Wonwoo heard him this time. “I want to see all there is of you, little bird.”

It probably took a few seconds for Wonwoo’s muddled brain to let the words sink in. When they did, he hummed lightly, and pressed a fleeting kiss to Mingyu’s nape.

“Good.” he whispered, and Mingyu felt a shiver running through his entire body.

_God, please,_ he began begging again, every nerve in his body aching for Wonwoo. He desperately didn’t want this to end now that it was just starting.

~~~

Mingyu had once read in of the children’s books his father had made him read about the far away deserts. They were supposedly huge expanses of sand and rocks and nothing else. No plants, no water. Just a huge field a dry, golden sand. The sun there was unbearable. There was nowhere to take shield from it. Any human or animal that found its way into a desert like the one in Mingyu’s books, had to withstand the burning rays that beat down on them and try to survive.

In conditions like those, apart from the exertion of their bodies, they also had to suffer the slow breakdown of their minds. Many started seeing hallucinations of villages, or forests, or lakes, anything to take them out of their misery. The water usually ran freely in there and there were heavy shades from luscious trees, perhaps a cool breeze too. Oases, they called those places. Illusions of miniature paradises in the middle of a hell where survival was next to impossible.

Mingyu got to experience what it felt like to stumble upon an oasis when he first took glimpse at the stone walls of the monastery he had been searching for an entire day. Only that in his case, the vision was real. He let out a cry of joy that startled the donkey, but Mingyu didn’t care. He had made it. He had gotten Wonwoo to safety.

He didn’t even care if the monks decided to kick him out to sleep amongst the wolves. These were the people that had raised Wonwoo, there was no way they wouldn’t take him in if they saw the condition he was in.

Like every person lost in the desert, Mingyu ran towards his oasis as fast as his donkey could carry him.

“I’ll feed you the best of cabbages and carrots the first chance I get.” Mingyu said to the exhausted animal. “You hear that Wonwoo? We’re here. You were right, we made it.” he turned to look behind his back.

Wonwoo wasn’t with him. His head lulled to the side lifelessly and Mingyu had to catch him by the arm before he fell off. Wonwoo hadn’t been able to stay awake enough to see the oasis. Mingyu noted that his breaths were steady, and pushed any kind of panic to the back of his head. They had almost reached their destination now. Wonwoo was going to be fine.

In a few minutes, he was in front of the only gate of the stone walls. He halted the donkey and hastily got off. He barely managed to pull Wonwoo to his side before the poor animal kneeled to the ground, its legs not able to support its weight anymore.

“I’ll even get you a male donkey to keep you company for your effort today.” Mingyu kept promising things to it. “Thank you.” he bowed to it clumsily, trying to keep the unconscious Wonwoo up as well.

“Good evening.” he then heard a voice calling at him from inside the walls.

Mingyu abruptly turned around and saw a middle-aged man approaching. He had hair white like a morning cloud and a matching, long beard. His robes were exactly as Mingyu expected the robes of monks to be; black and modest, covering the man’s entire body. His face was painted in a kind, patient expression, with a hint of curiosity swimming in his eyes. Mingyu could tell the moment those eyes landed on Wonwoo and realized the condition he was in, because they widened in surprise.

“Oh my, is he okay?” he exclaimed and put a hand in front of his mouth.

“Please help him.” Were Mingyu’s first words. “He took poison last night and he has a high fever and I-I-I…” he stuttered in the end.

All the nervousness was suddenly crashing down on him, like an angry avalanche. He had yelled too loud on the snowy mountain that was his emotions, and now he was struggling to not get buried from the oncoming wave of thick ice.

“Oh my, oh my.” the monk rushed to his side, and pulled Wonwoo’s arm above his shoulder. “He took poison?” he said with a worried expression. Mingyu noted how he didn’t look too shocked. “Let’s get inside quickly, you have to explain what happened.”

“Thank you.” relief washed over Mingyu, melting a bit of the snow that was choking him. “Thank you so much.”

Mingyu couldn’t register a lot of what he saw around him when he entered the front yard of the monastery. There were a few stone buildings inside the walls, a few trees and benches scattered, but most importantly, there were more monks rushing over to them after the call of the white-haired man that was helping Mingyu.

“Wonwoo? What happened, what’s wrong with him?” Mingyu picked apart the voice of young-looking man with black hair to match his robes.

“He drank poison yesterday.” Mingyu tried to explain again.

“What?” the man’s eyes widened. “Why?”

Mingyu looked to the ground, ashamed. “The people of the village…” he began saying, but the white-haired man put a hand on his shoulder to stop him.

“You can tell us the details later boy. What kind of poison did Wonwoo take, and what are the effects?” he asked seriously.

“I-I don’t know. It was a purple one. I made him puke it out but… he has such a high fever, even if it briefly went down in the morning, and I hadn’t been able to give him any food as we rode here and-“ Mingyu began babbling, clutching Wonwoo’s hand tightly. This was too much. He had reached his goal, so now the strength that brought him here was rapidly vanishing.

“Hey, hey, calm down.” the black-haired man put an arm on his shoulder. “You made it here, you did good.” he said reassuringly, as if he knew what was going through Mingyu’s head.

“The belladonna one was purple.” Mingyu heard another man say to the others.

“Do we still have the antidote for that?” another asked.

“Kyungsoo used it a month ago.”

“I replaced it. Wonwoo has left us the recipe.”

“Where is it then?”

“In his workshop.”

“Jeonghan go get it.”

“And someone put him in a bed, the poor boy can’t hold him up forever!”

It was like all five men that had gathered around him talked simultaneously, but they must have understood each other, because before Mingyu knew it, the black-haired one was rushing away, and three others were taking Wonwoo off his grasp.

“Wait.” Mingyu said, holding his waist protectively. “Where are you going to take him?”

“Relax boy, we’ve been taking care of Wonwoo’s mess of a health for 14 years. We know what we’re doing.” a short one told Mingyu.

“Brother Kyungsoo, please be kinder, the boy is obviously on edge.” the white-haired said, and placed a hand on Mingyu’s shoulder comfortingly. “We won’t forbid you from seeing our Wonwoo.” he said to Mingyu attentively. “We’re just asking you to let go of him briefly so we can make sure he is okay.”

There was a side of Mingyu that didn’t want to let anyone take Wonwoo away from him, not even for a second. _He_ had saved his life, _he_ had taken him out of the village, _he_ was responsible for him and no one else. But Mingyu bit his lip and forced himself to let go. He wasn’t an animal to act on his protective instinct. His logic told him that at this point, these people had better chances at helping Wonwoo than him.

“There you go.” the white-haired man patted his back.

Mingyu’s fists clenched at his side as he saw the rest of the monks taking Wonwoo away. He wasn’t comfortable with this, but he had to endure it. After everything he had managed to do, it would be foolish of him to fail at this simple task.

“Come on boy, let’s take a seat. You need to calm down as well.” the monk urged him towards a bench to his right side.

Mingyu didn’t feel his legs carrying him over to the wooden bench. He didn’t feel himself sitting down, he didn’t notice the white-haired man sitting next to him.

“Take deep breaths.” he urged him, and Mingyu mechanically complied. He breathed in through his nose and exhaled from his mouth, just as Minghao had taught him to do during the times he had missed his brother too much. It had helped when Mingyu was sixteen and feeling terribly alone, and it helped now, that Mingyu was twenty and his heart didn’t belong to him anymore.

He slowly unclenched his fists and leaned back to the bench. Just the thought of Minghao gave him strength. The courage he had received from his best friend all these years was going to accompany him forever.

“So,” the man began saying. “Someone must have notified Brother Junmyeon about your arrival by now. He will be here shortly, I imagine, with a lot of questions.”

_The High Monk Junmyeon,_ Mingyu’s mind provided. The head of the monastery. Mingyu had only ever heard his father describing the man, always with the utmost respect. He was a fairly young person. He had replaced the previous High Monk five years ago, and had kept a tight relationship with Mingyu’s father and the rest of the village. Mingyu didn’t know what to expect of him. After he had seen the monster his father truly was, he didn’t know what to think of a man that had earned his respect.

“Brother Taeil? Brother Changmin? Anyone?” Mingyu heard a voice calling. “Someone go take care of the donkey outside! I can’t do everything by myself!”

“Ah, there he is.” the white-haired man smiled.

Mingyu saw a relatively short man dashing towards them and he tensed. His hair was brown and short, not like what Mingyu would have expected of a High Monk. He also didn’t have that aura of serenity, that quiet wisdom that Mingyu had thought surrounded every religious figure. His black robe floated behind him as he practically ran around the courtyard to find someone to tend to Arielle. He eventually found a gray-haired man, even older than the white-haired one that was sitting next to Mingyu with a fond smile on his face, and he directed him outside to see to the donkey.

It was only then he spotted Mingyu on the bench. He immediately stood a little straighter and assumed a calmer face before he made his way towards the bench.

“Hello there.” he said, smiling as he stood in front of Mingyu.

“G-good evening.” Mingyu immediately stood up to bow to him.

The High Monk took a step back and held his hands up in front of him. “Woah, woah, no need for that. I should be the one bowing to you for bringing our Wonwoo here.” he said and bowed even deeper than Mingyu.

Mingyu gaped at him. “N-no no, please rise.” he said in a small voice.

“Alright. No awkward bowing then.” the High Monk said with a small smile and plopped the bench. “Please take a seat.” he motioned at Mingyu to sit next to him.

Mingyu gulped and hesitantly sat back down.

“What’s your name, boy?” the High Monk asked.

“It’s Kim Mingyu, sir.” Mingyu said politely. “I… I believe you know my father.”

“Jesus, you’re the mayor’s son?” the High Monk raised his eyebrows. “Your father has talked to me about you. Quite excessively.” he added with a nose scrunch.

Mingyu didn’t know what to make of that expression. The man was a lot less intimidating than Mingyu was expecting, but he was still suspicious.

“I have to ask you, Mingyu. What happened? Why are you here?” the curiosity in High Monk Junmyeon’s voice was almost as prominent as his worry.

“I’m sorry I came so suddenly… I just wanted to bring Wonwoo somewhere safe. I understand if I can’t stay here, I can leave quietly…” he said, lowering his head, but the High Monk gasped.

“What kind of nonsense is that? Your room is already being prepared.” he said.

“We can’t leave you to the wolves, kid. You’re safe here.” the white-haired man patted his thigh.

That was another relief. Mingyu didn’t know if he would have made it out there alone. Now that Wonwoo was being taken care of, he had worried a little about his own fate. The sun had completely disappeared from the sky. The forest wouldn’t be visible for long. The day was finally fading away, and now, it was time for Mingyu to start recounting everything that has happened to him, and more importantly, everything that has happened to Wonwoo.

“I’m not sure if you’ve been aware of this, but… the people in the village haven’t been kind to Wonwoo.” Mingyu began, ugly shame crawling in his chest.

The High Monk frowned. “What do you mean?”

“They… they thought he was a witch, sir.” Mingyu confessed.

Silence followed his words. Mingyu closed his eyes. He was worthy of any contempt that might come his way from the people next to him. He had spent years shunning Wonwoo, he was as guilty as anyone.

“Our Wonwoo… a witch?” the High Monk Junmyeon tasted the words. “Why… I didn’t know this. Your father never mentioned it.” he said gravely.

Of course he wouldn’t. Mingyu’s father wouldn’t have endangered the village’s relationship with the monastery for a witch boy. On top of everything, Mingyu realized his father was a liar.

“It was terrible. I spent years… _years_ scared of him.” Mingyu said and placed his face in his hands. “Three years I’ve been hurting him. This is all my fault.” he despaired.

“Hey now.” the High Monk patted his back. “The past is the past. You struggled a lot to bring him here. I’m sure he has forgiven you by now.”

“Breathe, boy.” the white-haired man reminded Mingyu.

Mingyu took in a choked breath. He didn’t deserve it. He didn’t deserve his forgiveness. Despite knowing this, he craved it like crazy.

“I… I talked to him. One day I happened to talk to him. And then I talked to him again, and again and the fear disappeared. And when the fear disappeared I… I saw so much more of him. He is an amazing person.” Mingyu said. “He is an amazing person and I… I almost lost him.” his voice broke at the last part as tears began gathering in his eyes. The men next to him exchanged a look but didn’t say anything, giving him time to continue. “My father didn’t want me to talk to him. He… he did some terrible things. Terrible…” he lost his words again.

He could still taste the flesh of Mew in his mouth. He could still hear the loud meowing of Anpiel. He couldn’t help but imagine how they must have died. Anpiel’s gray fur must have burned so easily. His meowing must have been louder than ever as he disappeared from this world. The little squirrels were always so trusting. When they saw the men approaching with the torches, they must have climbed to the lowest branches of their tree to greet them, only to get burned first.

He hoped they hadn’t made Wonwoo watch. Just the image of him watching all the care, all the effort he had put in helping those animals burning to nothing had more tears springing at Mingyu’s eyes. He began sobbing, his face still hidden behind his palms and his shoulders slouching. He should have been with Wonwoo. He should have never let him experience this kind of pain.

“There, there.” High Monk Junmyeon patted his back. “It’s okay. Take your time.”

Mingyu just sobbed harder. There was no holding it back anymore. The urgency to keep Wonwoo alive was gone now, and he was facing his own pain. _He should have been there._

“My father… he burned everything down. His house, his pets, his inventions… everything.” Mingyu said, voice hoarse. “When I found out I ran to him but… but he had decided he didn’t want to be here anymore.” he sobbed. This memory was too fresh, too painful. “I watched him drink that poison and I… I had never felt so terrified in my life before.”

The High Monk sighed loudly. “It’s not easy to watch someone die, but it is even harder to watch them willingly throw their life away.” he said sadly. “It must have been hard for you.”

“To think that our baby…” the white-haired man said, a few tears slipping from his eyes as well. “Our baby would do something like this…” he sniffed.

“A bright star would have gone out if it wasn’t for you Mingyu. When it mattered the most, you were with him.” High Monk Junmyeon kept patting his back encouragingly.

“I took him back to my brother’s house, but he was really sick. In the morning, a mob gathered outside to kill him for bewitching me into being his friend. I grabbed him and ran away. We’re never going back there.” Mingyu clenched his fists.

He felt so exhausted. He was tired, and hungry, and his body was screaming at him to get some liquid inside him, but all he did was cry, cry and cry. At least the white-haired man was silently crying with him now.

Mingyu had to remind himself that these people have raised Wonwoo ever since he was a child. They probably loved him here, especially the older ones that must have been with him from day one. If Mingyu had attempted suicide, he knew his parents would have been devastated. He was glad that Wonwoo had some people like that as well. He wasn’t so devastatingly alone here, not like he had been at the village.

“Thank you for sharing Mingyu.” the High Monk said after a while. “I will see how to handle things from now on.”

“Just please make sure he is okay.” Mingyu said, attempting to wipe his tears.

“I will. But don’t be fooled by Wonwoo’s appearance. He is a lot tougher than he looks.” High Monk Junmyeon smiled at him encouragingly. “He will be up and kicking in no time, at least physically.”

“This boy has missed out on love so much.” the other monk sniffed again. “He never got enough. He deserves so much more than what he has.”

I _love him,_ Mingyu wanted to say. If this was what it took to get Wonwoo back on his feet mentally as much as physically, then he was going to shower him with love until he was sick of it. That thought made him feel a little better about himself too. The prospect of finally showing Wonwoo the love and attention he deserved was a pleasing one. He wiped his eyes again and took a shaky breath.

From now on, it was going to be okay. He wasn’t going to leave Wonwoo alone, he was never getting scared of him again, he was never going to doubt him. But speaking of doubts…

“I have a question.” he said to the High Monk.

“I’m all ears.” the other replied.

“Wonwoo talked to me about a plague. Is it real?” he asked seriously.

High Monk Junmyeon and the other man made eye contact again. “There is no nice way to put it.” the head of the monastery said in the end. “It is real and it is getting closer.” he said morbidly.

“I see…” Mingyu looked to the ground. So it was confirmed now. Wonwoo has never lied to him about anything. “My father didn’t know about it.”

The High Monk snorted. “Of course he didn’t. He would get too panicked if I told him.” he said with an eye roll.

Mingyu furrowed his eyebrows. What was that supposed to mean?

“Don’t get me wrong Mingyu, your father is an okay mayor, but that’s all he’ll ever be. He is not a true leader, at least not one I can actually trust.” the High Monk shrugged.

“Brother Junmyeon.” the monk chastised him . “That’s not appropriate”.

“Oh hush, Brother Jyp.”

Mingyu looked to the ground again. A few days ago, he would have been offended by those words. He would have thought that it was unacceptable of the High Monk to speak like that for a man that genuinely respected him as much as his father. But now… Mingyu was kind of glad that High Monk Junmyeon knew the real side of his father. The man that was cruel enough to burn down the house of a boy who was trying to save them all from a plague, deserved no sympathy.

After that, Mingyu saw that there was commotion in the back of the yard. Some of the monks that had taken Wonwoo away were there, and Mingyu had to hold himself back to not run to them and smother them with questions. Between them all, he saw the black-haired one walking towards their bench.

“Excuse me from the interruption, but our guest must be tired.” he said when he reached them.

“Is his room ready?” the High Monk asked.

“Yes Brother.” he nodded and turned to Mingyu. “Wonwoo was dehydrated and his stomach was empty. You probably haven’t eaten anything all day, so why didn’t you ask for some water at least?” he scolded Mingyu.

“What?” High Monk Junmyeon all but shrieked. “And you cried so much too! You have to take care of yourself young man. I forgive this because you were in a bit of a shock when you arrived, but don’t let it happen ever again, okay?”

“Y-yes, sir.” Mingyu shrank away from him. The rant had oddly reminded him of his mother.

“I brought bread and water to your room, come on, you must be beyond exhausted.” the black-haired said and offered Mingyu his hand to lift him up.

Mingyu took it and stood up. He was taller than the other, but he was thankful for the support. The world spun around him for a brief moment, and his legs trembled. He was in no condition to properly stand by himself.

“Sleep well, my boy. We will speak more tomorrow.” Jyp waved him goodnight.

“And make sure to stay healthy!” High Monk Junmyeon added.

Mingyu wished them goodnight as well and let himself be half carried to the back of the yard. There was a narrow path there that lead inside a garden. The black-haired guided him through it and to another yard. This one looked more private than the one in front of the gate, less extravagant. There was one more building to the side of this yard that hadn’t been visible from the bench he was sitting.

“This place is big.” Mingyu commented.

The other chuckled. “It currently houses 25 monks of all ages and needs. It has to be big enough to fit us all.” he said. “I’m Jeonghan, by the way.”

“I’m Mingyu.” he introduced himself.

“Nice to meet you. If you’re intimidated by the older ones here, you can come to me for anything you need, okay?”

“Thank you.” Mingyu told him with a sigh.

He didn’t have the strength to make any more small talk with Jeonghan, even though he seemed nice enough. When they reached his room, after a multitude of corridors that he had no hope of remembering, Mingyu only took a moment to gulp down two cups of water and eat three slices of bread before he was bidding goodbye to the other.

He put on a white bathrobe that he found on his bed over his clothes and quickly climbed beneath the foreign blankets. He wanted to look around him and see more details of the room, but his eyes couldn’t stay open now that his body had found comfort again. The forest was fully dark outside the window, and even though it was still too early to see the stars, Mingyu fell asleep like he had been awake for years.

~~~

It was too soon that he was being woken up again. The knocks on the door of his room were soft, but they were enough to bring Mingyu out of his slumber. A glance towards the window told him that it was still dark outside. The moon wasn’t even visible, which meant that it was probably very late. Mingyu only had a moment to furrow his brow and wonder what was going on before the brown door opened and the head of a monk popped in.

“Mingyu?” he almost whispered.

Mingyu rubbed his eyes tiredly. “What’s wrong?” he murmured. A terrible thought crossed his mind then. “Is Wonwoo okay?” he said more urgently and sat on his elbows to look at the man.

“He actually just woke up.” the other said and fully entered the room. Mingyu could make out his black hair and youthful face now. Jeonghan. “The first thing he asked was if you were still here.”

“I’m here.” Mingyu said quickly and got up, tossing the blankets to the side. His body was still sluggish from sleep, but his mind was quickly waking up. “I’m not going anywhere without him.” he added firmly.

“I see.” Jeonghan smiled at him, amused. “That’s fortunate. I actually came to take you to him.”

“Yes.” Mingyu nodded vigorously and rushed to the monk’s side. “I’m following.”

Mingyu didn’t know if it was because he was barely awake, but he could have sworn he saw Jeonghan holding back laughter. A few days earlier Mingyu might have felt self-conscious about how eager he sounded, but he was beyond that now. If Wonwoo was asking for him, there was nothing more important than to go at his side.

A handful of confusing, thick-carpeted corridors later, Jeonghan was opening another door, similar to the one of Mingyu’s room. “Try not to jostle him too much, he is pretty tired too.” the monk said, gesturing at Mingyu to go inside first.

The room was small, with one table pressed against a wall with a small window. There was a plate with breadcrumbs and half a glass of water on top of it. There was also a big jug of more water next to it, so Mingyu assumed Wonwoo had drunk enough to fight the dehydration. At the opposite wall, there was a tiny wardrobe and a single bed. It was the sight of what was on the bed that had Mingyu’s heart unclenching in relief. Wonwoo was awake, sitting against the headboard with his arms crossed in front of him. His eyes were red, and the rest of his face was pale, but otherwise he looked healthy.

Mingyu barely registered Jeonghan entering the room and closing the door behind him, as he ran to the bed full force. Wonwoo’s eyes widened when he saw him, but before he could react, Mingyu wrapped his hands around his neck tightly and all but crashed against him.

“You’re awake! You’re okay!” he said happily.

Despite clearly being startled, Wonwoo hesitantly put his arms on Mingyu’s waist too. “And you’re still here.” he murmured disbelievingly.

“I am.” Mingyu said reassuringly and bumped their foreheads together. “I’m staying with you.” He was going to repeat those words as many times as Wonwoo needed to let them sink in.

Wonwoo sighed and looked away though. “Why would you waste your life…” he began saying, face full of regret. “I’m not… I don’t want to drag you down with me.”

Mingyu just laughed and placed his chin on the other’s shoulder. “What a silly thing to say.” he said softly. “We’re not going down Wonwoo. We’re going _up._ ”

Wonwoo’s hands clenched on his waist.

Mingyu bit his lips to muffle a smile. “You have a sunset to show me, remember?”

Wonwoo let out a strangled breath and pulled back, putting his face in his hands. “I can’t believe this is real.” he shook his head. He was holding back tears, Mingyu could tell. It was amazing how a few words like those could have such an effect on Wonwoo. His emotions were all over the place after what he went through. It was probably going to take time to return back to normal. In the meantime, Mingyu was going to protect his fragile heart.

Jeonghan coughed awkwardly then, trying to remind them of his presence. Mingyu turned to look at him, even though Wonwoo couldn’t. The monk had a pleased smile on his face as he watched them, but one of his hands was already on the doorknob.

“I’m going to leave you. You should go back to sleep, there are many hours before the sun rises again.” he said.

Mingyu didn’t ask if it was okay for him to stay here with Wonwoo, if it was okay for them to sleep on the same bed. He would have stayed with him even if he wasn’t technically allowed to.

“Goodnight.” Wonwoo told Jeonghan weakly, voice muffled behind his hands.

“Goodnight dear.” the other replied.

And like that, they were left alone again. Mingyu touched Wonwoo’s hair softly, lovingly. He was going to need all the love in the world for his heart to heal faster, and if Wonwoo let him, Mingyu was more than willing to provide it to him.

“Do you want to sleep together again?” Mingyu asked carefully.

It was amusing how quickly Wonwoo scooted to the side to let Mingyu lie next to him. Mingyu liked how apparently, Wonwoo was just as eager as him. He pushed under the covers and just like the night before, he wrapped an arm around Wonwoo’s body and pulled him to his chest.

“Is this okay?” he asked.

Wonwoo hummed. “Your heartbeats…” he nuzzled his face closer to Mingyu. “I was counting them yesterday. It… helped.” he confessed.

Mingyu willed his cheeks to not heat up. There was nothing embarrassing about someone paying such close attention to Mingyu’s heartbeat. It was an intimate act, but after everything he had seen of Wonwoo that night, he didn’t know why it was that little information that made him feel like that. “I-It helped?” he asked.

“Yes, it was distracting. It’s too hard to think sometimes. My mind doesn’t always jump to pretty places.” Wonwoo sighed tiredly.

Mingyu tried to look at this statement positively. No matter how many dark visions plagued Wonwoo’s pretty head, he still saw beauty between them. Mingyu only had to make him focus on those nice places to make him feel happier again.

“Is this monastery one of the places you consider pretty?” he asked.

“I think so.” Wonwoo replied. “If nothing else, I always felt safe here.”

Mingyu closed his eyes and tried to open his mind again. He tried to think about what point of view Wonwoo was watching the monastery that made him feel secure. Was it from a child’s perspective, from a teenager’s? Did he look at it from the bottom of mountain or from the clouds? Mingyu didn’t know. In order to take Wonwoo to pretty places, he had to be able to see them himself. And if he wanted to see those places, Wonwoo had to take him there first.

“Describe it to me.” Mingyu said in the end, running a hand through Wonwoo’s hair.

“Are you sure?” there was still uncertainty in the other’s voice.

Mingyu reached down to blindly grab his hand and brought it to his lips. “Show me.” he kissed his fingers.

He felt Wonwoo’s eyelids fluttering shut against his skin. There was a moment of only silence as Wonwoo took deep, steady breaths and collected his words.

“The sunset.” he said in the end, voice calm. “There is always a sunset in the horizon, deep orange and pink. The clouds are white on one side and black on the other from the shadows that are just beginning to form. The shadows… They never truly appear. The sun never really sets.”

The picture began to slowly be painted in front of Mingyu, deep orange and pink. In a world with a sweet sun that never set, no one was afraid of the shadows. No one was in danger of a dark void.

“The monastery is built at the very top of the mountain.” Wonwoo continued. “The land stretches flat around us. We’re at the highest point of this golden world. The clouds are dancing around us, twirling and playing with their shadows. We can touch them if we stand on our tippy toes. You… you’re taller, so you can probably reach higher than me.”

Mingyu let out a quiet laugh at the words. “No way. You can fly here.”

On top of the mountain, Mingyu saw Wonwoo hovering above him. In his head, Mingyu was standing tall against the setting sun, but Wonwoo was not standing anywhere. He floated below the clouds as he looked back at him with surprised eyes.

“I… I can fly here.” he admitted. “How… How did you know?”

“You’re my little bird. Of course you can fly.” Mingyu said simply.

He could imagine this world now. He could see the birds in the horizon, he could see the vast forests below him. He almost felt the old rocks beneath his feet and the thin air around him. In this world of the eternal sunset, Mingyu could spend hours gazing at Wonwoo who walked on the rays of sun. Yeah, this was a nice place. He almost started losing feeling in his limbs as the warmth of the sun hit him. He was getting numb to reality as Wonwoo stopped speaking to let him explore on his own.

Admittedly, Mingyu couldn’t see much else. There were probably so many more details that Wonwoo saw there. He probably observed things that Mingyu wouldn’t have even dreamt of. But at least, Mingyu was here now. He could feel the sun, and he could watch Wonwoo as _he_ looked at everything else. That was enough for him.

At some point, back in the real world, Mingyu felt a pair of lips on his own. The world of the setting sun began shaking and shifting, until it disappeared from Mingyu’s mind and he was thrown back into his body. They were both back on the bed, in the small room of the monastery in the middle of the night. Wonwoo’s head was above his, his hand was on Mingyu’s cheek and he was kissing him deeply.

When he realized what was happening, Mingyu let out a moan and wrapped an arm around Wonwoo’s waist. He could barely kiss back as he let Wonwoo ground him slowly. The sensations were coming back to his body in the sweetest, most tantalizing way possible. His body shivered as Wonwoo caressed his lips with his own, gently pulling him back to reality.

When Wonwoo leaned back, Mingyu finally opened his eyes and saw the light of the only lantern in the room sparkling inside Wonwoo’s dark brown irises. Mingyu was entranced. He was bewitched. He had never felt more alive than he did in the moment. He had finally taken a glimpse inside of a different world, all because of Wonwoo.

“Is this magic?” he found himself asking.

“Everything is magic.” Wonwoo said quietly.

Mingyu felt like his mind was stretched wide, filled to the brim with new, unknown notions. Wonwoo made himself comfortable on his side again, head resting between his shoulder and his arm, and he pulled his small blanket around them both. They barely fit under it. The single bed was even smaller than Minghao’s, but they both squeezed on it anyway. Mingyu couldn’t dream of pulling away now.

“Thank you.” Wonwoo said then. “There… there is no point of a safe world if you’re only protecting yourself.”

Mingyu sighed and closed his eyes again. It was as he had suspected. Wonwoo had stopped visiting places like that in his mind because he was alone. That only left him to go to dark, sad ones. That damn void had been taking a lot of space inside him. Mingyu couldn’t allow this to continue. “Now that I’ve seen this… I can take you there more often if you’d like.” he said.

Wonwoo nodded faintly and threw his arm around Mingyu’s torso. “That would be nice.”

They didn’t exchange any other words after this. They fell asleep silently, peacefully, in a small room of a monastery that wasn’t at the top of the mountain under a sun that never set, but it was equally as safe and beautiful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My mind when writing this: Jeonghan Jeonghan Jeonghan Jeonghan Jeonghan Jeonghan Jeonghan~  
> Also EXO lol. My multifandom is showing.
> 
> Thank for reading, feedback is always appreciated! New chapter in 5 days!


	11. Je voudrais voir le monde à l'envers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I lost brain cells trying to figure out if I should post this today or tomorrow. Even though it's been five days since the last chapter, May had 31 days so it messed up my 5-10-15 etc uploading schedule. After thorough consideration though, my big brain decided that five days are five days, no matter the date of the month <3 
> 
> Yes, this is called overthinking and it sucks, do not try it at home :/

_O God, come to my assistance; O Lord, make haste to help me._

_O Lord, Thou wilt open my lips, and my mouth shall declare Thy praise._

Mingyu stirred on the bed. He thought he heard a voice coming from far away, but he didn’t know if it was from a dream or from reality. He tried to turn on his side to continue sleeping, but he couldn’t really move on the tiny space without disturbing his bedmate. Oh well. He buried his face in Wonwoo’s hair and inhaled deeply, trying to ease himself back to unconsciousness.

_O Lord, Thou wilt open my lips, and my mouth shall declare Thy praise._

There it was again. Mingyu opened his eyes a tiny bit and tried to focus on the sounds that were coming from outside the room.

_O Lord, Thou wilt open my lips, and my mouth shall declare Thy praise._

Matins. The morning psalms were beginning. Mingyu let out a soft breath and relaxed back to his pillow.

_Lord,_ _how many are my foes!_ _  
How many rise up against me!  
Many are saying of me,  
“God will not deliver him.” _

_But you,_ _Lord_ _, are a shield around me,_ _  
my glory, the One who lifts my head high.  
I call out to the Lord,  
and he answers me from his holy mountain._

Mingyu recognized the words. This was the psalm of David, when he fled from his son Absalom. He rarely attended the daily matins at the church back in his village, but he knew the process.

_I lie down and sleep;_ _  
I wake again, because the Lord sustains me.  
I will not fear though tens of thousands  
assail me on every side._

Mingyu stayed still and listened to the voices of the monks, coming from outside the building. They were carried and spread around the room like a summer breeze, complementing the silent nature around them. The monastery was built in the middle of the forest. There was no other man-made sound to disturb the peacefulness, other than the welcome psalms of the morning.

The narrow window on the wall was letting a few rays of the rising sun enter the room. At their presence, it was like the specks of dust that were laying around got up to spin around brightly. It was as if the light was some kind of music that only the tiny dust particles could hear and dance to.

_Arise,_ _Lord_ _!_ _  
Deliver me, my God!  
Strike all my enemies on the jaw;  
break the teeth of the wicked._

**__ ** _From the_ _Lord_ _comes deliverance._ _  
May your blessing be on your people._

Mingyu looked down at the sleeping face of Wonwoo next him. He hadn’t woken up, even after the monks’ chants. Mingyu wondered if he was used to such sounds being made every morning. He had grown up here after all, this was what he probably considered normal. There were so many things Mingyu wanted to know about his childhood, about how different their upbringings have been.

Mingyu tried not to wake the other up as pulled the arm that was below his head free. He replaced it with a pillow before Wonwoo was too jostled, so he didn’t stir. His face looked calm, like that other time he had caught a glimpse of it when he had woken up before Wonwoo. The only difference was that this time, Mingyu was not afraid to touch him.

He brushed his fingertips over Wonwoo’s lips, as featherlight as he could. Wonwoo had kissed him twice now. The first was to scare him away, the second to bring him back to reality. Mingyu wondered if there would ever come a time when Wonwoo would kiss him for no reason, simply because he felt like it. Mingyu deeply wished for such a time.

For now, he lifted the blankets off his body carefully and placed his feet on the ground. He tucked the covers back around Wonwoo’s body snuggly and got up. The psalmodies could still be herd from the distance, and after drinking a bit of water from the jug on the table, Mingyu decided to follow them.

When he stepped out of Wonwoo’s room, the first thing he did was look around him for anything that might have led him back to his original room. The truth was, he had no idea where he was. There was a corridor stretching to his left and his right, with a few more doors that led to different rooms. The floor was covered in a dark brown-red carpet, that only stopped to give way for a staircase in the end of the corridor.

Mingyu walked there, making sure he remembered the room he left Wonwoo in. He walked down the wooden stairs, and reached another stone corridor, similar to the one he had just left. He was still not on ground level. There were more doors that presumably led to rooms similar to Wonwoo’s, and some of them even had wooden plates with carved names hanging on them. Mingyu looked at the one nearest to him. “Brother Yunho” was written, with a neat, curved handwriting. So this was probably the building where the monks slept, that’s why it was so big. Mingyu went down yet another staircase, and only then he saw a door that led outside to a yard.

Mingyu barely looked at the plates on the doors he passed by as he finally walked outside. The yard he found himself at was full of little tables and chairs, beneath pavilions that had plants growing all around them. At the opposite side of the building Mingyu came from, there was another one, a little smaller but still two-storied, making a cage around the cozy yard.

The psalmodies were louder there, especially because there was still a veil of silence, even out here. The yard was empty at this moment, as the monks were all gathered together somewhere else for the matins. Mingyu remembered that Jeonghan had brought him here from a narrow path inside the garden that was next to the smaller building.

In the daylight, the garden didn’t look as large and intimidating as it had looked the previous evening. Mingyu found the cobble path easily amongst the plants, that reached all the way to the stone walls that surrounded the monastery. The part of the walls that touched the garden was covered by a morning glory plant, its trumpet-shaped flowers in full bloom. Many more flowers were in full bloom too, even though it wasn’t spring. A lot of care must have gone into creating such a carefully planned flower garden that had plants blooming all year round, so high up on the mountain. The monks were meticulous folks. Wonwoo was like that too, and Mingyu was beginning to see where he got it from.

At the end of the path, there was the well-lit front yard with the benches Mingyu had first seen when he entered the monastery. The exit of the monastery was between the outer walls opposite of Mingyu. This yard looked more pristine than the other one, more impersonal. It kind of reminded Mingyu of the courtyard of the church in his village.

Now he knew that the building on his left was actually the back of the monks’ dorms. The building on his right though was a lot more interesting. It had a round, orange-brown tiled dome as a roof, and iridescent, vertical windows. There was a large, marble white cross on top of it and three bels hanging from thick ropes on wooden planks. This was the monastery’s church, and the melodious psalmodies came from inside it. 

Mingyu walked to the small door quietly. It was left open for any late-comers to join the monks as they all sat in wooden chairs inside and chanted their hymns. The inside of the church was tiny, reverent. Multiple pictures of various religious figures were hanged on the walls, decorated with flowers and candles.

High Monk Junmyeon was standing in front of the temple, leading the psalms with a censer with burning incense hanging from his hand. Mingyu took a deep breath. Incense smelled like home. Incense smelled like a different time, when he had to use all his strength to utter a simple good morning to Wonwoo.

No wonder Wonwoo had been sitting outside the church with such a far away expression back then. The smell of incense from the church probably reminded him of home too. That was something they had in common.

Mingyu stood on the doorway of the church silently, respectfully watching the monks inside. He stood there for a long time, listening tentatively and letting the smell of incense pacify him, along with the shades of the multi-colored windows. He imagined a younger Wonwoo in his position, observing the people that raised him from a distance that wasn’t limited to one world. He wondered if Wonwoo ever took part in the matins from the church of the monastery on top of the mountain, with the never-setting, orange sun filtering through the blue, green and red hues of the windows. The matins from up there must have felt different from those in here, but Mingyu couldn’t quite grasp the difference, not in the way Wonwoo probably did.

It hadn’t even been an hour and Mingyu wanted to go back to him. The monastery was pretty, and Mingyu would love to see more of it and the monks, but Wonwoo was so much more interesting than anything else he saw.

Still, he stayed in his spot until the end of the prayers. He saw the monks slowly rising from their seats and stayed rooted in his spot until he heard the matin bells ringing.

_Ding._

_Dong._

_Ding._

_Dong._

“Good morning.”

Mingyu jumped when he saw Jeonghan in front of him. The man had his arms tied behind his back and he was smiling at Mingyu as the rest of the monks slowly filtered out of the church.

“Good morning.” Mingyu replied.

“Do you like the matins?” Jeonghan asked conversationally.

“I…” Mingyu hesitated. “I don’t attend them regularly to be honest.”

“Neither did Wonwoo.” Jeonghan snorted. “For such a bright boy, he was never a morning person.”

Mingyu smiled to the ground. He could imagine a sleepyhead Wonwoo struggling to get up from bed every morning. He could also imagine himself bringing him breakfast in bed to spoil him, if he ever learned to cook. It was such a happy thought.

“Speaking of Wonwoo,” Jeonghan snapped his fingers in front of Mingyu’s face with a knowing smile. “We should go check on him. Did he sleep well after I left you?”

“Y-yeah. He didn’t move at all.” Mingyu said, eyes not leaving the ground.

“Good. Come on.” Jeonghan patted Mingyu’s back, urging him forward. “It wouldn’t be the first time that lazy bones didn’t wake up even after the bells rang.”

“Get him something to eat too.” High Monk Junmyeon appeared behind Jeonghan, the last one to leave the church. “Make sure his blankets are warm and dry and he doesn’t have a fever any longer. Give him plenty of water and I will make Kyungsoo make him orange juice to drink to regain some of his energy. And since you’re at it, give him fresh clothes and show Mingyu the bathroom.” the man fussed, the words leaving his lips too fast.

Jeonghan chuckled and shook his head. “Of course Brother. You don’t need to worry so much, I can take care of the kids.”

Mingyu had always imagined the monks to be deeply religious, serene creatures, with long beards and wrinkled eyes. But here Jeonghan was, talking almost as casually as Minghao, and the High Monk of all people, worrying like Mingyu’s mother and Jinhwan combined. Mingyu still hadn’t talked with most of the monks here but… these two seemed like normal humans.

Jeonghan pulled Mingyu away from the High Monk before he could say anything else. “Hurry, hurry, we need to get enough distance between us so he will find it too bothersome to follow us.” Jeonghan mumbled.

Mingyu almost tripped as he was pulled to the path that led back to the other courtyard. Jeonghan was walking so fast, he didn’t see a monk coming from the opposite way and before Mingyu could warn him, they both bumped on to him.

“Brother Jeonghan.” the short man said through gritted teeth.

“Ah, Brother Kyungsoo, I’m so sorry, I didn’t see you there.” Jeonghan’s grip on Mingyu’s arm tightened in warning. “I heard High Monk Junmyeon was looking for you.”

Mingyu didn’t know a sigh could hold so much fatigue or exasperation, but here was Brother Kyungsoo, not only sighing like it was a national sport, but also glaring at Jeonghan like he had murdered his parents. Mingyu shrunk a bit behind Jeonghan.

“Is he still at the church?” Kyungsoo asked with a resigned voice.

“I left him at the door.” Jeonghan stepped aside for him to pass. The other directed his glare to the yard and left without another word.

When he was out of sight, Jeonghan patted Mingyu’s arm and pulled him to continue their walk. “So, the building next to us is called the first building, and the one where Wonwoo’s and your rooms are is called the second building.” he explained to Mingyu. “In the first building, apart from the dorms, there is also a library, a kitchen and a cellar where we keep supplies. In the second building, there is the bathroom, the area we shower.”

“Do you have running water too?” Mingyu raised his eyebrows.

“…no. Wait.” Jeonghan said with shining eyes. “Does that mean that Wonwoo had running water back at the village? Did he finally make it?”

“He did.” Mingyu nodded.

“Oh, wow. He has been researching and designing this project for _ages._ I can’t believe he finally did it.” Jeonghan said, voice dripping with pride.

This was exactly how everyone should have reacted when they saw all the amazing inventions Wonwoo had made. Mingyu finally felt like someone other than himself was seeing the brilliance that was Wonwoo’s mind. Jeonghan earned a few more points of respect.

“So how did he do it? Did he keep the pipes? What materials did he use to avoid rust?” the monk asked eagerly.

“I… I’m sorry, I have no idea. All I know is that he needed to maintain it a lot and it was still a work in progress.” Mingyu said.

Jeonghan chuckled. “That’s okay. I’ll talk to him about it myself.”

Not only was Jeonghan accepting of whatever Wonwoo was doing, he was also knowledgeable on the subject. As things were now, Mingyu could only marvel at Wonwoo’s creations from afar, without being able to understand Wonwoo’s explanations about how they worked, and therefore, preventing Wonwoo from talking to him about them. _That won’t do,_ Mingyu thought with pursed lips.

With this and that they reached the second building, and Mingyu felt a little proud at himself for remembering the way up. At the first floor, Jeonghan pointed to the furthest room to the right of the corridor and told him that this was the room they had set up for him.

“The one next to yours is mine, and next to it, it is Brother Kyungsoo’s.” he kept pointing rooms.

“O-oh.” Mingyu couldn’t help but stiffen at the name.

They continued their way up and stopped at the door in the middle of the second floor’s corridor. There wasn’t a plate hanging from Wonwoo’s door with his name, like the rest of the rooms. Instead, there was a hurricane of faded colours twirling around one another, the darker colours creating the lines of Wonwoo’s name directly on the wood of the door. Mingyu hadn’t noticed that before.

“Woah.” he exclaimed, running a finger over one spinning line. “That’s quite different from the other rooms.”

“ _Quite different_ is a very accurate way to describe Wonwoo.” Jeonghan nodded. “He drew over this every year as it faded in the wood. This was the last design he made before he left.”

“He draws?” Mingyu was surprised at that.

“He sketches, mostly. This door was his first experiment with colours.”

Mingyu couldn’t help but think of the poor table back at Wonwoo’s house, and the splotches of green, pink and yellow it proudly sported. He should have guessed that Wonwoo might have had an interest in painting. After all, how could he design all those pipes and sinks if he couldn’t at least sketch?

Jeonghan knocked on the door, but it was pushed open just at the contact. Someone had left it open. Someone had visited Wonwoo after Mingyu left.

The anxiety that sparked inside Mingyu was almost a reflex at this point. He shouldn’t have left Wonwoo alone, _when was he going to learn?_ He quickly opened the door and pushed past Jeonghan, only to deflate at the sight in front of him.

“Hi.” Wonwoo told him from his bed, a faint smile on his face.

“Good morning!” Jeonghan came inside the room as well. “Look at that.” he placed his hands on his hips. “Someone was impatient to see you.”

Wonwoo’s smile widened momentarily as he looked back on his lap. His face looked more alive than it had been all those past few days combined.

“Mingyu, this is Raphael.” Wonwoo eagerly introduced the enormous brown cat that was bumping its head against Wonwoo’s hands while purring.

Mingyu chuckled and rubbed his forehead. To think that he was worried.

“Raphael the mighty cat. Pleased to make you acquaintance.” Mingyu walked closer and bowed to the cat.

Raphael hissed at him.

Mingyu had never felt more betrayed in his life.

“Don’t take it personally, he only likes Wonwoo.” Jeonghan patted his back. “There are plenty of more cats to pet if you want. You hear that Raphy?” Jeonghan leaned his face closer to the unimpressed animal. “Your majesty is not special.”

Even though the cat didn’t hiss at Jeonghan, it very pointedly turned its back on him and pressed closer to Wonwoo’s chest, letting out a cute meow. Wonwoo chuckled and started petting it again. Mingyu couldn’t stay mad at the cat if it made Wonwoo laugh for the first time after everything he had been through.

“It sounds cute now, but he had been meowing non-stop for two weeks after you left.” Jeonghan told Wonwoo. “Brother Kyungsoo is the only person who has managed to pet him in the past three years, and that’s only because he was the one feeding all of them in your absence.”

“Thank you for keeping them. I… wasn’t sure you really wanted all those cats I brought, especially after I left.” Wonwoo said timidly.

“Of course we did. Why would you doubt that?” Jeonghan furrowed his brow.

Wonwoo averted his eyes, his face not amused anymore. Mingyu felt that familiar clench of his heart again. Jeonghan might have known a lot about Wonwoo’s life before he left the monastery, but he had no idea what the people of the village made him go through. Wonwoo never doubted himself when he was alone, but after all the hate that was directed to him, he was beyond insecure when he had to share that self with other people.

Mingyu sighed, partly mad, partly disappointed, and Jeonghan made eye contact with him, silently conveying his worry. The monk sat on the bed next to Wonwoo then, and pulled him in a hug.

“Don’t think about stuff like that here.” he told Wonwoo.

Mingyu noticed that even though Wonwoo hugged him back, he still held back a bit. His lips were pressed tight, not quite able to accept the other’s words. Jeonghan must have noticed, because he pulled back a bit to continue reassuring him, but he didn’t know what to say. He hadn’t seen Wonwoo when he was at his worst.

Mingyu sat on the bed as well and placed a hand on Wonwoo’s thigh, above the blanket. _He_ had seen him. He knew what to say. “There is a reason that of all the things that could have been on top of that mountain, there is this monastery. You know you’re safe here. Don’t doubt it.”

Jeonghan looked at him questioningly, but Mingyu knew that his words had gotten to Wonwoo. His eyes briefly met Mingyu’s before looking away again, but this time his face was brighter.

“Yes.” he said. “Yes, you’re right.”

“Oh?” Jeonghan seemed even more surprised that Wonwoo understood the point Mingyu was making. Even the cat was looking at Mingyu with unwavering eyes, as if judging him. The only thing that Mingyu cared about though was that Wonwoo’s lips weren’t pointing downwards anymore as he cuddled Raphael close to his chest.

“Anyway,” Jeonghan changed the subject when he saw that Wonwoo was comfortable again. “Did you walk to the door to let Raphy in?” he asked.

“I did, but it was hard getting back to the bed. I couldn’t even close the door behind me.” Wonwoo answered.

“Yeah, we thought it would be like that. The High Monk suggested you don’t walk around today and get some rest.” Jeonghan continued.

“Okay.” Wonwoo said compliantly, sliding a little lower under the covers of the bed.

“I’m going to bring you breakfast.” Jeonghan said and got up. “Don’t make that face, your body is half of what it used to be.” he scolded Wonwoo when he saw him cringing at the mention of food.

“I didn’t say anything…” Wonwoo muttered.

“And don’t you dare to.” Jeonghan warned him as he left the room.

Now that Jeonghan was gone, Mingyu slid to his place next to Wonwoo. The cat hissed at him as he came closer and Mingyu pouted at it.

“Why do you hate me?” he whined.

The cat hissed again, curling on Wonwoo’s lap protectively.

“It’s okay Raphael, Mingyu’s friendly.” Wonwoo said amusedly. He started petting Mingyu’s hand to show to the cat that he wasn’t dangerous, and Mingyu felt like somehow the tables have turned here.

“Hey, shouldn’t you be reassuring _me_ that your cat is friendly and not the other way around?” Mingyu pointed out.

“You’re friendlier than Raphael though.” Wonwoo replied.

Mingyu resisted the urge to laugh and leaned his chin on Wonwoo’s shoulder with one of his cute pouts. “What if he hates me forever and you have to pick between us?”

“He won’t hate you forever. Here, let him smell you.” Wonwoo gently pulled Mingyu’s hand in front of the cat’s nose.

Mingyu decisively ignored how Wonwoo failed to answer his question. Raphael sniffed him once before he looked up at Wonwoo and meowed, as if asking for an explanation.

“See? He smells nice, doesn’t he?” Wonwoo told the cat in a soft voice. “He is a nice person, no need to get all aggressive with him.”

“I smell nice?” Mingyu asked with an amused smile.

“Ah, I mean…” Wonwoo turned to look at him a little embarrassed. “To a cat, you probably do. They can tell when a human has bad intentions or whatever…”

“Sure.” Mingyu chuckled and threw an arm around Wonwoo’s shoulders. “That’s totally what you meant.”

Wonwoo bit his lips and petted the cat aggressively. Mingyu didn’t want to let this drop yet, not when it got Wonwoo looking so bothered.

“So, what would a cat think I smell like?” he asked close to Wonwoo’s ear, only for the other to shy away from him, cheeks starting to redden. That was the only kind of flush Mingyu wanted to see on Wonwoo’s face.

Wonwoo was saved from answering by the door of the room opening again. Mingyu hesitantly withdrew his arm as Jeonghan strutted inside, a tray full of food in his hands. He slammed the door shut with his foot and placed the shaking tray on the table. A fruity smell was coming from the plates, and Mingyu felt his mouth watering. He hadn’t eaten breakfast either, and unlike Wonwoo, his stomach was desperately asking for it.

“Breakfast for two is served!” he called like a housemaid. “We have pears, bread, honey and apricot jam to go with your green tea. Wonwoo you’re having orange juice, Brother Junmyeon’s orders. Everything is Kyungsoo-made, except for the honey. The bees did that.” he said sheepishly.

“Thank you so much.” Mingyu took a seat at the table. He took a plate and put two pieces of bread, one with jam and one with honey, and peeled half a pear. He also grabbed Wonwoo’s orange juice and brought everything back to the bed.

“I thought you were preparing that for yourself.” Wonwoo said with raised eyebrows.

“You didn’t make any move to get out of bed. You’re not getting out of breakfast on my watch.” Mingyu said and put the plate into Wonwoo’s lap, over the cat.

Raphael meowed loudly in protest and begrudgingly walked to the other side of the bed to curl on Wonwoo’s feet.

“Tsk, tsk, what kind of attitude is that?” Jeonghan scolded the cat. “You should be feeding Wonwoo pears yourself.”

Raphael hissed at him.

Jeonghan sighed. “God created all animals with love and respect so we should follow his example and treat them like family.” he said calmly and then glared at the cat. “But this one is testing my patience daily.”

Wonwoo laughed, and Mingyu found the opportunity to shove a piece of pear in his mouth. “Bon appetit.” he smiled at him.

Wonwoo started chewing without the tiniest complaint. When he swallowed, he opened his mouth expectantly again, and Mingyu ignored his heart melting inside his chest to keep feeding him. He could _so_ get used to this.

“So, another one of Brother Junmyeon’s orders,” Jeonghan began, taking a seat at the table, “was to give you both fresh clothes and blankets. But before that, I think that a bath would greatly benefit Wonwoo’s recovery.”

Mingyu paused, a bite of honey bread midway to Wonwoo’s open mouth.

“He can’t stand up for long.” he reminded Jeonghan.

“He won’t be standing up, we will a fill a pool with hot water and we’ll just toss him in. I’ll just need help carrying him there and washing him.” the other replied.

“ _A pool_?” Mingyu asked with wide eyes.

“Ah, you’ll see.” Jeonghan smirked. “We only fill them for special occasions, but there’s nothing more special than our baby Wonwoo.” he said fondly.

Wonwoo apparently didn’t have an opinion to express about any of those statements. He just nudged Mingyu’s arm with his shoulder and opened his mouth again, so he would keep feeding him. Mingyu chuckled and brought the honey bread to his lips.

“I’ll go ask for help to warm the water.” Jeonghan got up again. “Finish your breakfast and I’ll come collect you.”

“Thank you.” Mingyu said, bringing another piece of pear to Wonwoo’s mouth.

~~~

Half an hour later, Jeonghan returned barefoot, and with the sleeves of his robes rolled up above his elbows.

“The bath is ready.” he said and bowed in front of Wonwoo. “Your highness, if you would allow me to escort you.” he extended his hand in front of him.

“Did you really fill an entire pool just for me?” Wonwoo said disbelievingly, letting his feet touch the ground.

“You, and anyone else who might be interested in joining you.” Jeonghan side eyed Mingyu.

“W-What? N-No, I’ll only help you wash him.” Mingyu flushed red faster than he ever had.

Wonwoo grabbed Jeonghan’s hand and pulled himself up with difficulty. Mingyu held his waist to push him up, and after he was standing, he offered his arm for more support. Wonwoo’s feet were shaky, and he heavily leaned against both Jeonghan and Mingyu to keep himself up.

“It’s the belladonna antidote.” Wonwoo explained to Mingyu as they began walking. “Because one of the poison’s side effects is paralysis, the antidote is made to relax any stiff muscles, that’s why I have the strength of a seaweed today. Tomorrow I’ll be fine.”

“Oh.” Mingyu said. “Then a warm bath will definitely help your muscles.”

“Oh please, that was just an excuse to fill a pool.” Jeonghan snorted. “Even as an angsty teenager, Wonwoo always loved the bath pools.”

“Don’t say that.” Wonwoo hissed at his friend.

“Angsty teenager?” Mingyu arched an eyebrow at the new information.

“Yeah, he went through a phase. We don’t like to talk about it.” Jeonghan chuckled.

“Jeonghan!” Wonwoo whined.

Mingyu laughed, not quite believing what he was hearing. This was the closest he was going to get to meeting Wonwoo’s family, and apparently, like any other family, they had a lot of embarrassing stories to share about his childhood.

“Don’t let Jeonghan fool you, he’s barely one year older than me.” Wonwoo said.

“Really?” Mingyu asked the other. “You look older.”

“It’s the emotional maturity.” Jeonghan said seriously, but Wonwoo snorted.

“When Jeonghan came to the monastery at the ripe age of 14, they assigned _me_ to show him around and take care of him, _me_ , who was younger but mature beyond my age.”

Mingyu laughed, mostly because he had never Wonwoo bragging about himself before, especially while throwing shade at another person. It was a pleasant change to watch him act so carefree for once, no matter how briefly it may last.

Jeonghan probably didn’t find it as funny, because he rolled his eyes and looked at Wonwoo pointedly. “I’m dropping this because I don’t want to embarrass you in front of your boyfriend.”

Mingyu choked and Wonwoo groaned loudly.

“Jeonghan!” he whined again, louder this time. “Don’t say stuff like that!”

“I don’t hear you denying it though?” Jeonghan raised one eyebrow at both of them.

The words passed through Mingyu like a lightning. He didn’t dare look at Wonwoo’s face right now but it was true. He wasn’t denying it. Mingyu had never thought about Wonwoo like that. What he felt was deeper than that. But if someone looked at it from another point of view, Mingyu had clearly expressed his love, and Wonwoo had already kissed him twice. If anything, Mingyu had been getting progressively better at looking at things from different points of view.

Their conversation died like that as they descended the second flight of stairs, but Wonwoo was still not denying anything. Boyfriend… Mingyu tried to taste the word for the first time. It suddenly hit him that Wonwoo was a _man._ Mingyu hadn’t thought about it too much in the past, but now it was glaringly obvious. Mingyu had always imagined himself with a girl in the future, a wife like Nayoung, so he was beyond surprised that Wonwoo being a man made no difference to him. The truth was, he had never been attracted to anyone as much as he was to him.

There was only one thing that didn’t sit quite right with him.

“Isn’t the church supposed to be against such things?” he said quietly.

“We’re not “the church” here.” Jeonghan said seriously. “We follow the word of god, not the rules of human priests. Personally, I would be the last person fit to judge you for something like that.”

He said it with such certainty, that Mingyu was scared to question him further. He only squeezed Wonwoo’s hand that was clutching his arm for support as they walked, as reassurance that he was okay with everything. To his delight, Wonwoo squeezed back.

They had reached the ground floor and they walked straight, past the door that led outside. At the end of the corridor, instead of just a plain rock wall, there was a blue door at its right end, like the building didn’t quite end there.

Jeonghan led them to that door and briefly let Mingyu carry all of Wonwoo’s weight to push it open. Light streamed out of the room. It was a lot brighter in there than the rest of the building. The three of them walked inside at the same time, with a little difficulty.

Mingyu’s gaze immediately lifted upwards. This room wasn’t separated into floors. The ceiling was all the way up to what would have been the second floor. The three walls that were in direct contact with the open air were full of huge windows from the first floor and up, brightening the whole place.

On the ground, there were two pools dug in the ground, covered in marble coating. One of them was filled with steaming water. Mingyu marveled at the rays of sun that hit its surface, causing ripples of blue light to be reflected to the walls around them.

“Say something.” Wonwoo whispered to him quietly.

“Like what?” Mingyu said and immediately, his words started echoing and rising all the way to the ceiling. “Woah.” he exclaimed, and the walls repeated his words at him over and over again.

“Come on, we need to get Wonwoo in before the water gets cold.” Jeonghan said, pulling them towards a few marble benches to the side of the room.

They made Wonwoo sit down and Jeonghan took off his robes first. He placed it on another bench and remained just in plain white pants and an equally plain white shirt. Mingyu leaned down to take Wonwoo’s socks off.

Mingyu didn’t want to think about the last time he had had to undress Wonwoo. He had been unconscious back then, limbs pale and lifeless. Now, even though his skin was still pale, his eyes were staring intensely at Mingyu as he placed the socks next to Jeonghan’s robe. They both knew what came next.

“Umm, can you place your hands around my neck, so you can lift your hips?” he asked, trying not to make things embarrassing for either of them.

Wonwoo did, and Mingyu had to stop himself from pointlessly blushing as he grabbed the top of Wonwoo’s pants and pulled them down his thighs, leaving him in just his undergarments. Wonwoo shivered as his skin made contact with the cold marble again when he sat back down. Mingyu tried his best to not look up at his bare thighs as he slipped the pants down the rest of his legs and folded them neatly. He placed them above the socks, and kneeled down in front of Wonwoo again to take his shirt.

“Arms up.” he said lightly, grabbing the hem of it.

Wonwoo’s torso was decidedly less pale than his lower body, especially around the neck. His eyes were darting around the room, landing everywhere but on Mingyu.

“Don’t be embarrassed.” Mingyu told him, as he if wasn’t feeling like this himself. “You are very handsome.” he added, a lot more quietly.

It had the opposite effect than intended. Wonwoo tried to cover his chest with his arms, barely managing to mumble a “thank you”. Mingyu got up and folded the shirt. Before he could place it with the rest of the clothes, Jeonghan tossed Wonwoo a white towel.

“The underwear too.” he said. “Tie the towel around your waist.”

Mingyu needed to show Wonwoo that there was nothing to be self-conscious about, so he didn’t want to hesitate. He kept his face neutral as he crouched down again and put a hand on Wonwoo’s knee.

“Let’s do this like before.” he said softly.

Wonwoo let out a shaky sigh and wrapped his arms around Mingyu’s neck again, a little tighter than before. Mingyu rested his chin on his shoulder, making sure his eyes weren’t anywhere near the cloth he was going to remove. Wonwoo pulled his hips up, and Mingyu quickly pulled down his undergarments. There was inevitably a lot more contact with naked skin as he slid them down. Mingyu closed his eyes, trying not to think about how smooth Wonwoo’s skin was under his fingertips, or how his touch left goosebumps in its trail.

“Give me the towel.” he said to Wonwoo, somehow still keeping his voice steady.

When he was handed the white towel, he quickly wrapped it around the other’s slim waist and tied it at the side.

“You’re ready, you can sit down again.” he said in the end, tossing Wonwoo’s undergarments with the rest of the clothes without even looking at it. “Let’s get in you that pool.” he added eagerly.

“You have to undress too Mingyu.” Jeonghan said. “Come on, this is a bathroom, the first rule is that you have to be naked.” he crossed his arms in front of his chest.

“You’re not naked.” Wonwoo observed.

“I’m a monk.” Jeonghan replied. “I’m already pushing it being without the robes.”

“It’s okay, we’re all men here, there is nothing to hide.” Mingyu said, still trying to keep the embarrassment away. He took off the undershirt that he was wearing easily, and tossed it messily to the marble bench.

“Come on, before the water gets cold.” Jeonghan repeated, lifting Wonwoo up from his seat and slowly carrying him to the pool.

Mingyu watched as he supported Wonwoo down a few steps that were inside the pool. It seemed that there was a place to sit below the water, as Wonwoo rested his back against the wall of the pool and lifted his knees close to his chest.

“Is the water okay?” Mingyu asked, shimming out of his pants.

“Yes.” Wonwoo sighed. “It’s so hot.”

Jeonghan rubbed a bar of soap on his hands and began scrubbing Wonwoo’s hair. His head leaned back at Jeonghan’s hands, almost touching the floor, and he sighed again. The scent of lavender carried over to Mingyu as he was finally rid of all his clothes, a towel wrapped around his own waist.

“Let me help.” he said, kneeling down next to Jeonghan.

“Wash his hair well and the rinse it with the water in that bucket.” he pointed at a wooden bucket next to the pool. “Just let the water run out of the pool, the less that goes inside the better.” he said and went to get more towels.

“What?” Mingyu asked confused. “Where will the water go if not in the pool?”

“The floor is tilted.” Wonwoo answered him, eyes closed and head still leaning back. “There is an opening on the wall at the lowest point, the water will leave from there.”

“Tilted?” Mingyu whipped his head to the side, trying to find an opening at the wall.

“Mm.” Wonwoo made an affirmative noise. “I can show you later…” _Now please scrub my head._

The request was clear, even though Wonwoo didn’t say it out loud. Mingyu indulged him anyway. How could he not? He rubbed a bit more soap into his hands and started massaging Wonwoo’s scalp gently, softer than Jeonghan had. There was no rush. He was doing this to make Wonwoo feel good as much as to clean him.

He began from the base of his nape, where most of the tension gathered. He rubbed him his thumbs, making long, slow movements to stretch any aching nerves. At that, Wonwoo’s head became heavier. He was relaxing more, completely leaning on Mingyu’s hands for support. Mingyu made circular motions with his fingers as he washed the top of Wonwoo’s head, cleaning him thoroughly. When he reached his temples, he applied a bit more pressure. He knew that if he pressed too hard there it was possible to knock Wonwoo out, so he massaged just hard enough to make him feel light-headed.

Wonwoo hummed, content at the attention. He was unconsciously making such a pleased expression, with slightly parted lips and eyelids fluttering shut. Even as Jeonghan returned and began rubbing the rest of his body with a towel, the expression didn’t change. Mingyu almost regretted it when he started pouring the lukewarm water from the bucket over his head to wash the soap away. Wonwoo put zero resistance as Mingyu moved his head from the left to the right to get all of the soapy spots.

“Jeonghan umm… sir, I’m done.” Mingyu said, squishing a bit of water out of Wonwoo’s hair.

Jeonghan choked a laugh in his throat. “Just Jeonghan is alright.” he said. “I’m almost done too.” he washed the soap away from one of Wonwoo’s legs. “You should get in the water too, I don’t think you’ll ever have a chance quite like this one. We don’t fill the pool often.”

“Should I?” Mingyu wondered out loud.

“Yes.” came Wonwoo’s quiet reply. Mingyu looked down at his relaxed face, and he really didn’t think Wonwoo had meant to say that out loud.

“Okay.” he brushed Wonwoo’s hair back one last time before placing his head on top of a crumbled towel and getting up.

“I’ll leave you to shower in peace.” Jeonghan said, wiping his hands on his already wet pants. “I showed you my room, come get me when you’re done to carry him upstairs.”

“Okay. Thank you.” Mingyu said, dipping his toes in the warm water to test the temperature.

The water was probably on boiling level when it was poured into the pool, because after all this time, it was still nowhere near getting colder. It felt good against the skin, and Mingyu cleaned himself with the soap first before he submerged himself. Like he had suspected, there was a ledge made out of marble that was all along the round pool’s walls. Mingyu sat opposite of Wonwoo and stretched his legs.

“Aah, it’s nice.” he sighed.

“I feel like I’ll fall asleep again.” Wonwoo said, head still thrown back.

“Sleep if you want, I’ll make sure you don’t drown.” Mingyu nudged the other’s leg with the tip of his foot.

“You’re spoiling me too much.” Wonwoo sighed, an audible smile in his voice.

Mingyu smiled at the water too. Yeah, he was spoiling him. And it felt better than anything else he had done in his entire life.

“After everything, this is what you deserve.” he said, making tiny waves in the water with his hand.

“After everything…” Wonwoo tried to say, but he trailed off before he could finish. He turned his head to the side and looked at Mingyu through half-lidded eyes. “After all the everythings that come and go, will you still be with me?”

“Yes.” Mingyu replied readily. He knew it would take a long time, and Wonwoo was going to ask him this a lot of times to finally believe him, but if it was to clear Wonwoo’s insecurities, Mingyu had all the patience in the world. “As long as you want me by your side, I’ll be there.”

“Come here then.” Wonwoo said, stretching his hand towards Mingyu weakly.

Mingyu gave a push to the wall behind him and floated towards Wonwoo. He grabbed his hand below the water and pulled himself closer to him, until he was sitting right next to him.

“See?” he said and kissed Wonwoo’s knuckles. “I am at your side.”

Wonwoo looked at him with a far away look, head still resting on the towel. “Why?” he murmured.

Mingyu brushed his wet hair back once again and smiled fondly. “Because you are fascinating. Your side is the best place to be in the entire universe.” he said and slid his hand down the other’s cheek.

Wonwoo closed his eyes, leaning towards the touch. “That can’t be true.” he sighed.

“It’s _my_ truth. I hope I can convince you of your value one day.” Mingyu brushed the corner of his lips softly. “Until then, I promise I’ll stay next to you to remind you how beautiful you are whenever you forget about it.”

Wonwoo exhaled loudly, hand clenching at his side. Even though his face looked calm, when Mingyu moved his hand from the other’s cheek to cup the side of his neck, he found that his pulse was faster than normal.

“When you say things like that…” Wonwoo mumbled, “you make me feel funny. You… you make me want to stay with you too. It’s scary.”

For someone that was used to always being alone, it must have taken a lot out of Wonwoo to admit that. It warmed Mingyu’s heart as much as the water warmed his body.

“Stay with me then. You don’t have to go.” Mingyu repeated.

Wonwoo opened his eyes again to look at him. As much as Mingyu expected it, it was hard to look at those eyes and realize how tired they were. Tired of trying, tired of being rejected by a world that he thought didn’t want him. Of course it was scary for Wonwoo to start forming ties with this world now, after he had already given up on it once, but he was doing it for Mingyu.

“Can I kiss you?” Mingyu found himself asking before he could think about it.

The corner of Wonwoo’s lips twitched upwards. “What’s the excuse this time?” he asked amusedly.

“I…” Mingyu tried to come up with something. His brain refused to cooperate though. All that he could think about was how much he wanted to bring Wonwoo closer, to slowly connect him back to this world and to secure that bond. He pursed his lips together and frowned, because he couldn’t find an excuse to do that.

He must have been making a funny face as he struggled to think of something, because after a while, he heard Wonwoo chuckling quietly, his tiny laugh echoing in the tall room. Before Mingyu could fully enjoy the sound, Wonwoo pushed his back away from the wall of the pool, wrapped an arm around Mingyu neck and pressed their lips together.

It was warm. Mingyu quickly wrapped his arms around the other’s waist and opened his mouth willingly. Wonwoo’s tongue still tasted like honey and pears as it connected with his own. Mingyu could feel the water rippling around them from their movement, warm splashes caressing both their chests.

Wonwoo had initiated the kiss once again, but it was Mingyu who was taking control of it. He sucked Wonwoo’s lower lip gently, and then ran his hot tongue over it to soothe it. Wonwoo sighed, and let his hand tangle between Mingyu’s wet hair. His grip tightened when Mingyu’s tongue entered his mouth, deliciously dancing against his own.

Mingyu kissed him slowly and thoroughly, enjoying every moment of it. He pushed against Wonwoo’s pliant lips persistently, nipping at the corners and licking him afterwards. The sensitive flesh of his lips was turning more pink and swollen under Mingyu’s ministrations, until Wonwoo’s breath started coming out harder.

Mingyu started tracing small circles on Wonwoo’s lower back with his thumb. His naked skin was smooth and slick under the water, inviting Mingyu to touch him more. Just as he was about to do that, Wonwoo broke the kiss and lowered his forehead to rest on Mingyu’s shoulder. He was breathing heavily, and his arms were trembling.

“Everything okay?” Mingyu asked, voice hoarse.

“Y-yeah.” Wonwoo replied. “I just can’t sit up any longer. It’s too tiring.”

“Aw.” Mingyu started trailing kisses from Wonwoo’s jaw towards his ear and neck. He felt Wonwoo sighing against his skin, his eyes closing. Mingyu had an idea. “You can lean against me.” he suggested.

He pulled Wonwoo back a little and gently spun him around, so his back was against Mingyu’s chest and he was sitting on the ledge between Mingyu’s legs. Mingyu snaked his arms around his waist again, more firmly and securely this time.

“Better?” he asked next to Wonwoo’s ear.

“Yeah.” Wonwoo relaxed against him. Mingyu started kissing his neck again, tasting the water droplets that were falling from his hair. It was almost addictive kissing Wonwoo like this. Every small sigh that left his lips was music to Mingyu’s ears. When Wonwoo turned his head to the side to give him more space to explore, Mingyu’s heart leapt in satisfaction. Wonwoo was clearly enjoying this. Mingyu was making him feel good, and that made everything ten times more pleasurable for him.

“You’re _really_ spoiling me.” Wonwoo said breathily.

Mingyu let out a throaty laugh and nuzzled his face in Wonwoo’s neck. “I can’t help it.”

“And I can’t resist it…” Wonwoo leaned his head against Mingyu’s and exhaled deeply. “So scary…”

Mingyu paused. If Wonwoo was so scared, he needed to make sure not to overwhelm him. He softly slid a hand up to his chest and it came to rest against Wonwoo’s heart. It was indeed beating loudly, no matter how passive his face looked.

“It’s okay to be scared.” Mingyu told him.

Fear was one of many human emotions, one of the strongest ones. Just the fact that Wonwoo was feeling it, it meant that he wasn’t beyond caring. It meant that he wasn’t completely over this world. He had been close, but he was coming back.

Wonwoo didn’t reply after this. He stood very still for the remainder of their stay in the pool, so still that Mingyu wondered if he had really fallen asleep. It wasn’t until Mingyu felt that his fingers were all wrinkled and that the water was getting lukewarm that he tried to move him a bit.

“Let’s go back to bed.” he said, kissing Wonwoo’s shoulder.

Again, Wonwoo didn’t reply, but when Mingyu lifted him over his legs and placed him back on the ledge next to him, he saw that his eyes were open. Open, but unseeing. He was lost somewhere in his mind again, not even acknowledging Mingyu as he got out of the pool.

He grabbed a towel and quickly wiped himself down. He ruffled his hair a bit, trying to get as much water shaken off as possible. He threw away the drenched towel from around his waist, and secured the semi-dry one there instead. This entire time, Wonwoo didn’t even attempt to look his way.

Mingyu took out another dry towel from the pile Jeonghan had left them and walked back to his side. He kneeled down next to him and brushed his hair back, trying to get his attention.

“Are you ready to get out?” he asked tentatively.

Wonwoo took a deep breath, eyes blinking back into focus. He glanced at Mingyu’s face, then the towel, and he slightly nodded. Mingyu reached down to grab his arm and help him to the stairs. He could barely stand up. It was Mingyu who almost dragged him out, with next to zero effort from the other’s part.

Nevertheless, Mingyu managed to wrap him in the towel.

“Can you walk back to the bench?” Mingyu asked, but it was glaringly obvious that Wonwoo couldn’t. He had used up all his strength. He just wrapped his arms around Mingyu’s neck and rested his head on his shoulder, as if it was the only thing he could do.

“Okay.” Mingyu said, more to himself than the other. “Okay, I’ve got this.” He made sure his grip on Wonwoo’s back was tight, before he leaned down and picked him up from the back of his knees. “Alright.” he said stiffly and began walking to the bench.

Even though Wonwoo was thin, his height meant that he still weighed enough for Mingyu to struggle a bit to carry him on his arms. He could take it though. Anything to make Wonwoo comfortable.

The towel pooled at the hand on Wonwoo’s back, exposing his torso again. It wasn’t cold in the room, but Wonwoo still shivered, pressing closer to Mingyu’s chest. Mingyu tried to ignore how the simple movement made him feel warmer in his chest. It shouldn’t mean much, considering how Wonwoo was just kissing him, but it did.

He set him down on the marble bench gently, and patted his upper body with the towel to dry his skin. Wonwoo still held on his neck loosely. When Mingyu began rubbing his sides, he sighed and closed his eyes.

“I’m so tired, Mingyu…” he said.

“I know, little bird.” Mingyu sighed too. “We can sleep when we get back to your room. Would you like that?” he brushed his wet hair lovingly.

“I don’t know…” Wonwoo murmured. “I don’t know if sleep can fix this…”

A beat of silence.

“What then?” Mingyu kept his voice as quiet as the other’s. “What can fix this?”

Wonwoo shrugged.

Even though it made Mingyu’s chest tighten, he shook his head and continued rubbing him dry. “It’s okay to not know. We’ll figure it out together, yeah?” he said reassuringly.

Wonwoo didn’t reply to that. Mingyu kneeled down and dried his legs, willing the somber mood to dissipate. He had to remind himself that it was natural for the other to feel that way sometimes. All he had to do was take care of him even more and make sure he knew he was loved and not alone.

Wonwoo would be fine. Maybe not immediately, but he was going to get there.

For now, Mingyu had another problem to face.

“Hey, can you umm… wipe yourself under the towel?” he asked Wonwoo, pointing at his crotch area.

Wonwoo blinked at him once. “Just take it off, I don’t care…” he said, voice awfully close to a whine.

Mingyu blamed the heat of the water for how his cheeks reddened, even though he had been out of it for a while now. He couldn’t just… remove the towel. And even if he did… he couldn’t, like… _touch_ him.

Mingyu had to bite the inside of his cheeks to stop himself from panicking.

“You, uh… I…” he stuttered. “You say that now, but you’ll be embarrassed by it later.” he decided to say.

And yes, _Wonwoo_ would be the one embarrassed later, not Mingyu, _definitely_ not Mingyu. He dared anyone to disagree.

“I-I’ll just go get Jeonghan, okay?” Mingyu hastily got up. “Don’t go anywhere. Not like you could go anywhere like this, but you know. Yeah.”

The corner of Wonwoo’s lips slightly lifted as he watched Mingyu retreating, and even though Mingyu was already cursing at himself for being a total idiot, he felt a little proud about it too. He’d make a fool of himself a thousand times over if it was to get Wonwoo to smile.

~~~

Half an hour later, Mingyu and Jeonghan were lowering Wonwoo to his bed. Raphael rushed in the room behind them and plopped right on Wonwoo’s chest, before anyone else could take his place. He started purring, but Wonwoo didn’t have the strength to pet him, not anymore. He still smiled faintly as he looked at him through half lidded eyes. Mingyu was thankful to the wild cat, even though it probably detested his very existence.

Jeonghan had given them both clean clothes and had brought fresh water to the room. Mingyu knew he was being so helpful only because he cared about Wonwoo, but a part of him was quickly warming up to the older. He was being kind to them, which was more than Mingyu could have asked for at the moment.

The monk left with a promise of coming to get them when the dinner was ready. His advised them both to get some more rest, and even if Mingyu wasn’t particularly tired anymore, Wonwoo’s eyes were drooping from exhaustion.

Mingyu eyed the cat with a frown. “Are you going to let me get on the bed?” he asked.

Raphael blinked at him, returning the glare. Mingyu took a step forward. The cat didn’t hiss at him. Mingyu sat on the bed. The cat stood up in front of Wonwoo protectively, ears drawn back and tail wagging dangerously.

“Wonwoooo!” Mingyu whined, too scared to lie down next to the animal.

Wonwoo chuckled. “It’s fine.” he said, extending a shaking hand for Mingyu to take. “He won’t hurt you.”

Mingyu slowly took Wonwoo’s hand in his own. Raphael watched closely as Wonwoo brought their interwoven fingers in front of his nose. He sniffed at Mingyu cautiously again, and then meowed loudly at Wonwoo, as if asking “why do you like this human”?

Without letting go of Mingyu’s hand, Wonwoo started petting his brown fur, albeit slowly and using mostly Mingyu’s strength.

“See? Nice human.” Wonwoo said to the cat in a higher pitched voice. “The nicest human you can get.”

The fur of the cat was soft and warm. Because the animal mostly lived in the monastery, it was maintained healthy and shiny. At some point, Wonwoo stealthily removed his hand, and Mingyu plunged his fingers deep into the fur.

Raphael quickly caught on to what was happening and tried to shake Mingyu off, but Wonwoo shushed him and placed his hand above Mingyu’s again. Raphael wasn’t having it though. He wiggled away from their touch and jumped off the bed.

Mingyu frowned, because Wonwoo had looked like he really wanted to cuddle with the cat. Thankfully, he only shook his head and pulled Mingyu closer, no traces of sadness on his face.

“He will come back, don’t worry.” he told Mingyu, as he cuddled him instead.

Mingyu turned on his side and circled his arms around Wonwoo, who was already pressing himself to his chest tightly. He brought his hand to hold the back of Wonwoo’s neck securely. Wonwoo hummed at the touch and closed his eyes, nuzzling his face against Mingyu’s neck.

“Comfortable?” Mingyu murmured.

“Mhm.” Wonwoo hummed, already beginning to doze off.

Mingyu took a deep breath and relaxed. He was going to be in this position for a while, simply holding Wonwoo as he slept. Safe and sound. For now, it was more than enough.

They had survived. Mingyu could finally relax and take a deep breath. He had managed to save Wonwoo both from the village and from himself. A few months ago, he couldn’t even find the strength to say good morning to him. His will was weak, his opinions influenced from ignorant villagers.

Mingyu closed his eyes and exhaled deeply. Wonwoo had changed him. He gave him the power of choice, he opened his mind and allowed him to think for himself. For the first time in ages, Mingyu was proud of himself. He was proud that he was here, he was proud that he had left his old life behind in order to save Wonwoo’s. And the best part was that this pride stemmed from within him. He no longer needed his father’s approval, not when his actions resulted in saving a brilliant person like Wonwoo. For what felt like the first time in years, Mingyu could breathe without feeling guilty, without feeling that he was lacking.

So Mingyu realized it wasn’t fair to say that he had saved Wonwoo. The truth was that they have saved each other. They had pulled each other out of their destructive cocoons. Mingyu had pulled Wonwoo out of his void of loneliness, and Wonwoo had broken his self-hatred.

Or at least they were getting there. The path of recovery was going to be long. They couldn’t change their deepest thoughts, their subconscious emotions and their habits from one day to another, but at least they were beginning to change.

And finally, _finally,_ Mingyu felt like he was on the right track. This was the life he wanted to live. No fenced villages, no elder people’s judgement, no forced marriages and a life planned out for him before he was even born. He wanted to stay by Wonwoo’s side, take care of him and help him show his true self to the world.

Wonwoo had so much to offer. He could help so many people with his ideas and his inventions, if only people let him. Mingyu was going to make sure they did. He wouldn’t allow anyone to mistreat him again, like the villagers. If Wonwoo couldn’t connect with this world very well, then Mingyu would be his connection. He was never going to leave him alone again, not if the other didn’t wish him to.

Wonwoo’s breathing had long evened out when Mingyu felt a little creature jump onto the bed behind his back. He immediately froze. A tiny nose sniffed cautiously at his back, before small paws lifted and stepped on his side. The cat was climbing on him.

Mingyu dared to turn his head a tiny bit and he saw Raphael staring at his face. There was a moment when they just looked at each other calculatingly, before Raphael jumped off of him, in the narrow space between Wonwoo’s body and his own.

Mingyu held his breath as the cat made itself comfortable, brown fur squeezing between their chests. It licked Wonwoo’s cheek once, and then it settled with its back on Mingyu. Wonwoo didn’t stir, proof of how tired his body really was.

And suddenly, Mingyu didn’t know what to do with his hands. He wasn’t expecting to cuddle with both a human and a cat today, but here he was. Hesitantly, he placed a palm on Raphael’s back. His tail twitched, but he didn’t turn his head to bite him. So Mingyu left his hand there.

Ten minutes passed, and he could tell that both the cat and Wonwoo were sleeping soundly. Mingyu internally whooped. Raphael accepted him, it was a miracle. He couldn’t wait for Wonwoo to wake up and show him the progress.

Mingyu was now content to be proud of himself. In this moment, he was strong enough to not need anyone’s approval but his own.

The tingling sensation in his belly when he thought about Wonwoo specifically being proud of him though, was a whole different story.

Wonwoo was in his heart now and Mingyu wanted to make him proud not because he felt he was obliged to, but because he genuinely cherished him.

_I think I might be falling in love with you._

Mingyu smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was kind of a filler fluff chapter to make up for all the angst of the previous three. The plot picks up again next chapter, we have a plague to fight yall.
> 
> Fun fact, I came up with this plot idea somewhere around october 2019, before the news about corona. I was shooketh when I realized I wrote those last chapters during an actual pandemic.
> 
> As always, thank you for reading, feedback is always appreciated! New chapter in 5 days (and not at the 10th of the month, lol).


	12. Si jamais c'était plus beau

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter yay :)

Jeonghan, if anything, was a very supportive friend. Mingyu could see it in every little movement he made around Wonwoo, from how the food he brought to him was specifically cut in a way he liked, to how he fluffed up his pillow, without Wonwoo even asking for it. He was extremely careful with the words he spoke around him, but his genuine interest about his younger friend’s well-being was glaringly obvious.

He even brought him three different canes to choose from when it was time for him to stand up and walk on his own. Jeonghan kept his fists balled, ready to catch Wonwoo if it looked like he could no longer support himself.

Wonwoo was fine though. Like he had promised, after a day of lazing around in bed, he had woken up well-rested and his body was no longer weak as a seaweed. He got out of bed on his own, he opened the door for Raphael to leave the room after sleeping on his bed an entire night, and he walked back to the bed without stumbling.

And now that Jeonghan was carefully guiding both him and Mingyu down the stairs, Wonwoo could keep up with them easily, not even needing the cane for the most part.

“Come on, I’m not a grandpa. Let me walk normally.” Wonwoo was whining at Jeonghan.

“You’ll thank me when you get tired later and you don’t have to crawl back to your room.” Jeonghan elbowed him lightly.

“But I won’t get tired, I told you, the effects of the antidote are over, I’m as healthy as it gets.”

“Are you trying to play tough in front of Mingyu?” Jeonghan snorted.

Wonwoo suddenly looked away, the tips of his ears coloring red. “Can you stop saying things like that?”

“Absolutely not.” Jeonghan cackled.

Mingyu let out a fond chuckle. He could now add _endearing_ in the list of things he thought made Wonwoo so special. Jeonghan easily brought out this side of him, a side that Mingyu had never seen before.

Jeonghan talked to Wonwoo in an entirely different way than anyone Mingyu had ever met before. He seemed to know what was going on in his mind to an extent, in a way that only people who used to spend a lot of time together did. He teased him comfortably, and they even bantered, which was so out of character for the Wonwoo Mingyu had met until now.

Underneath it all, Jeonghan cared a lot about him. He admired his creative side, just like Mingyu, and he was knowledgeable enough in both his skills and his personality to make for an interesting friend. And it probably wasn’t just Jeonghan who seemed to care so much, every monk Mingyu had spoken to seemed to cherish Wonwoo liked he deserved.

So… why? Why did Wonwoo leave the closest thing he had to a home in the first place, just to go to a village that didn’t want him? And even if he did it because he wanted to help people, why didn’t he leave after he saw that they hated him?

Jeonghan led them outside to the yard. After the matins, a lot of monks gathered around the small tables in the backyard to drink tea and discuss their day. Mingyu could make out Jyp near the garden, talking to another man near his age. He could spot a few more familiar faces from the day they arrived at the monastery, but he didn’t have names to go with the faces.

Every conversation seemed to halt when they saw Wonwoo walk outside behind Jeonghan.

“Jeon Wonwoo!” a man with light brown hair called, and it was like a dam opened for everyone around him. Most of the men stood up and started walking towards them, eyes alight with joy and smiles on their faces.

“My boy, it’s been so long!” the first one to reach them beamed at Wonwoo.

“Welcome back Wonwoo!”

“Are you okay?”

“How are you feeling?”

Wonwoo smiled and waved, reassuring everyone that he was fine now, but Mingyu didn’t miss how he shrunk back at the attention. Mingyu placed his palms on his hips from behind, a gentle support. The more Wonwoo was forced to talk to the monks, the more he subtly pressed closer to Mingyu.

At least nobody was touching him. It was remarkable how amidst the excitement, every man somehow knew that they would be crossing an invisible barrier if they pulled him in a hug or touched him in any way.

“Hey, hey, break it up, break it up!” the High Monk’s voice boomed over everyone. “Let our boy breathe, Jesus!” he shoved the others aside.

Brother Kyungsoo was at his side, throwing glares around as if they were confetti. Mingyu didn’t know why no one was fazed by those glares. He was majorly intimidated by them and the young monk with the short hair.

“It’s fine, Brother Junmyeon.” Wonwoo said with a brave smile. “We have a lot of catching up to do.”

“That we do.” the High Monk looked him up and down once. “I would rather do it without you hiding behind your new friend though.” he smiled.

Wonwoo blushed again and just pressed closer to Mingyu. Mingyu’s chest felt warm.

“There is no separating those two, brother.” Jeonghan informed the High Monk.

“I wasn’t planning to.” Junmyeon reassured him. “But I will need to borrow all three of you for a while. We have things to talk about.” he added seriously.

“Of course.” Wonwoo nodded, taking a step away from Mingyu’s side. Did he regain a bit of his confidence now that he was assured they weren’t going to separate them, or was Mingyu thinking too highly of himself?

“I will also need Brother Kyung, Brother Sooman and Brother Kyuhyun to accompany us.” the High Monk said.

Mingyu watched three men walking closer. Two of them were relatively young, around Junmyeon’s age give or take two years, but the third was old, even older than Jyp. His forehead was marred with prominent lines of experience, his walk slow but meaningful. Mingyu didn’t know the man, but he instantly realized that this was someone important.

“Follow me.” Junmyeon said, and _now_ he sounded like a leader, instead of just an older brother.

Mingyu wanted to link his hand with Wonwoo’s, just to show everyone that he was with him and they shouldn’t mess with him, but he held himself back. The situation here wasn’t like back in the village. Wonwoo walked more confidently down the path to the first building, the path he must have followed a million times as a boy.

And most importantly, people here respected him. If they were holding a whole meeting just for him, that meant they were prepared to listen to what he had to say. That was all Mingyu ever wanted.

“Hey, don’t be nervous.” Jeonghan suddenly whispered to him.

“W-what?” Mingyu was only mildly surprised to have him stand so close.

“This is about the plague. We are the team that searches for the cure.” Jeonghan explained.

Oh. Mingyu had almost forgotten about that.

“You’re part of it too?” Mingyu whispered back.

“Of course I am. I used to spend so much time with Wonwoo that some of his intelligence inevitably rubbed off on me.” Jeonghan snorted.

“That’s… a good thing, right?” Mingyu asked.

“I guess.” Jeonghan shrugged. “You’ve probably already guessed it, but none of us is as proficient a researcher as Wonwoo. This meeting is going to be right up his field, so you don’t have anything to worry about, okay?”

Jeonghan’s words were meant to be reassuring, and Mingyu was grateful for it. He had wanted to link his hand with Wonwoo’s before, but maybe it wasn’t only because he thought the other might need it. Mingyu was nervous too.

Wonwoo was walking ahead of him, like he seemed to always do, and Mingyu couldn’t help but follow him and watch his back. He told himself that it was to protect him, but he knew that all it really came down to was that Wonwoo could see so many more things than him.

The distance between them had never been more obvious than now, that Wonwoo was amongst people who weren’t as far behind him as Mingyu. If Jeonghan, who was barely one year older than Wonwoo, could keep up with his research, then what were people like the old man in their group capable of seeing? A lot more than Mingyu, that was for sure.

Sure, he had helped Wonwoo escape his void, he had taken a glimpse into his worlds, but right now, he couldn’t help but feel inadequate for him. His mother had once told him that true friends improved themselves for one another. If Wonwoo was trying to overcome himself and connect with this world again, then Mingyu had to step up his game.

“And what I meant when I said you don’t have to worry about him is that you need to stop watching over him like a mama hawk because you’re creeping me out.” Jeonghan elbowed him out if his trance.

“I can’t help it, he’s beautiful from behind…” was all Mingyu’s tangled brain could come up with. It didn’t matter how far ahead Wonwoo was, he was still the most impressive person Mingyu had ever seen.

Jeonghan gaped at him.

“Wait, I didn’t mean-“ Mingyu said horrified, when he realized how that must have sounded to someone who wasn’t privy to his thoughts.

“Oh my God!” Jeonghan burst out laughing. “Yah, Kim Mingyu! What are your intentions?” he punched his shoulder lightly.

“No, no, no, I didn’t mean it like that!” Mingyu cried.

Jeonghan wasn’t going to let this drop so easily. “This is a monastery, young man! Shame on you.” he scolded Mingyu, without a trace of actual offense in his voice.

Mingyu pouted. Jeonghan was enjoying this too much.

“Brother Jeonghan, we have an important meeting ahead of us. Please maintain some class.” Junmyeon said curtly, without even looking back.

“Right. Sorry.” Jeonghan coughed quietly, smile still not leaving his lips.

Wonwoo briefly turned back to look at them, a tiny, questioning smile on his lips as well. Mingyu was too embarrassed to make eye contact now.

He chose to pay attention to the inside of the first building instead. Unlike the second one, the ground floor housed the kitchen of the monastery next to some rooms. It was empty at the moment, but the scent that was coming out of that room was different than the rest of the building. Whoever lived to the rooms next to the kitchen was a lucky person.

They climbed some stairs to the first floor, which was the top floor of that building. There were more rooms there, with the same tags on the doors that revealed names, but there were two more rooms significantly larger.

“That’s the library.” Jeonghan pointed at the room at the far end of the corridor. “And this is the conference room.” he gestured towards the double doors the High Monk has stopped in front of, trying to unlock.

“Quite the tour guide you turned out to be.” the monk closest to them, one with a big pair of eyes, said at Jeonghan.

“You know me Brother, I’m always so helpful to all my fellow human beings.” Jeonghan blinked innocently at him.

The other monk turned to look at Mingyu. “He is most certainly not.” he said with a straight face.

“Oh, hush.” Jeonghan slapped his arm gently, amused. “Brother Kyuhyun is always trying to sully my good name.” he shook his head in mocking disapproval.

They were interrupted by the sound of the double doors opening, and High Monk Junmyeon gesturing at them all to go inside. The oldest monk walked in first, slowly followed by the rest of them. Wonwoo waited for Mingyu to enter the room together after Jeonghan.

The room itself wasn’t anything extravagant. The walls were mostly bare, save of few oil paintings of old men in black robes, probably the previous heads of the monastery. All the space of the room was occupied by a large, round table in the middle of the floor. It was made of plain wood, same as the chairs around it, but it could seat at least fifteen men at the same time.

No, the room and furniture weren’t intimidating at all, but as everyone picked a seat and sat down, Mingyu couldn’t help but feel nervous. He felt like that one time he had walked in a meeting of his father with important officials from the town below the mountain. It didn’t feel like he belonged there.

Except that now, Wonwoo slipped his hand in his own to guide him to sit next to High Monk Junmyeon, and it suddenly hit Mingyu that there was no specific place he belonged to anymore. He had left his life behind to be next to Wonwoo, which meant that he belonged wherever the other went. If at the moment, a meeting about the plague was where Wonwoo needed to be at, there was nowhere else for Mingyu to be.

“Is everyone settled?” the High Monk remained standing as everyone sat down.

A few affirmative nods later, High Monk Junmyeon cleared his throat. “Let’s begin then.” he said and placed his hands on his table. “We’re holding this impromptu meeting in honour of Wonwoo’s return. Before any of us share any information, I think it would be more appropriate to let our honoured guest speak first.”

“Right.” Wonwoo said, without missing a bit. He stood up next to Junmyeon and turned to look at the others. “First of all, I read all the information you sent me in that book a few months ago. I furthered some hypotheses and tested the theory of the aquatic mushroom solution. I developed it and gave to someone to drink and the effects it had were nowhere near the desired ones.”

The old monk sighed. “Are you certain about this?” he said.

“I am.” Wonwoo said, more confident than any time Mingyu had heard him before. Jeonghan had been right. This meeting really was right up his field.

“You mentioned hypotheses. I know for certain there weren’t enough facts to make the solution. How certain can you be that the direction you followed was accurate?” the old man continued.

“Absolutely certain.” Wonwoo smiled at him. “I didn’t randomly make a solution, Brother Sooman. I made a lot, but most of them where either unstable or unconsumable. I couldn’t be certain about the final product, that’s why I tested it on a person.”

“It was a good idea, Brother Sooman.” the High Monk said to the old man. “It is inevitable there are going to be some fails in our attempts to find a cure.”

“I was certain I had been close.” the old man sighed again. “But if Wonwoo says it failed, well…”

“It’s good he figured it out so quickly. We won’t have to waste any more time on a theory that doesn’t work now.” Jeonghan said.

“You mentioned effects.” the man that hadn’t spoken at all until now observed. “What were the desired ones, and what really happened?”

“Yes.” Wonwoo turned to him, eager to reply.

Once again, Mingyu could only stare at him as he spoke, not understanding a word, but watching how the sparkle that used to be in Wonwoo’s eyes when he spoke about his creations was barely there. The others didn’t seem to notice, or if they did, nobody mentioned it. This was a strictly informative meeting, and everyone respected that.

Everyone respected what Wonwoo had to say, they all listened to him like he was their superior. Mingyu had no doubt that they had all heard about his suicide attempt merely days ago, but that fact didn’t make any of the men in the room treat him any less respectfully. They didn’t even look like they pitied him.

The path to a cure was a lot more important than the personal struggles of a person, no matter who that person was. Wonwoo had always been a superior researcher, Jeonghan had said it, and his words didn’t have any less value now than they when he had been mentally healthier. The exchange of information came first.

“…Mingyu?” Wonwoo poked the side of his head with an amused smile.

“Yes!” Mingyu was startled back to attention. “I’m sorry, I didn’t listen to the last part.” he bowed to Wonwoo apologetically.

“The effects, Mingyu. You tried the mushroom solution. Can you share how you felt that night at my house?” Wonwoo said and sat back down, gesturing at Mingyu to stand in his place.

“Yes.” Mingyu said and turned to the others. “The most noticeable thing was a sudden lightness. It just felt like… I was safe and comfortable all of a sudden? And warm? My emotions were all over the place, I reacted too much to simple things.” he said seriously.

“Did you have any hallucinations from the mushrooms?” the old man asked.

“N-no, no hallucinations.”

“I countered the hallucinations. He shouldn’t have had them in the first place.” Mingyu heard Wonwoo saying.

“I did raise a fever the next night though.” he pointed out.

“You did?” Wonwoo sounded surprised.

“Yeah, I didn’t get the chance to tell you.” Mingyu looked at him apologetically. “It only lasted a night though, I was fine by the morning.”

It was a little unnerving to see how every man around him wrote down the words he was saying like he had all the answers to their questions.

“Raising a fever like this if you’re already sick from the plague could prove to be fatal.” Brother Kyuhyun said, not looking up from his notes. “We can’t use this at all.”

Mingyu took this as his cue to sit back down.

“What then? If we had been on the wrong path all this time, what direction should we take now?” the other monk Mingyu assumed to be Kyung asked.

“Wonwoo?” the High Monk asked.

“A few days ago I got my hands on infected animals. I didn’t manage to find much before my work was destroyed, but…” he pursed his lips after the last words and looked to the ground.

The monks exchanged looks. No matter how much of his personal feelings Wonwoo wanted to keep out of this conversation, he couldn’t keep everything. And the truth was, that night, with the destruction of his house came the loss of all his research.

Not even Wonwoo could remain apathetic at the mention of that night.

“It’s okay, take your time…” High Monk Junmyeon said gently.

Wonwoo nodded stiffly and took a deep breath. Mingyu didn’t know how to make this easier for him. He wasn’t ready either to remember the sight of his broken house, the smoke rising to the sky and the loss of everything Wonwoo had held dear. It hurt to think about that house even at its normal state, all the pillows scattered around and water pipes cascading from the ceiling. It hurt to think about what has been lost.

How much worse must it have been for Wonwoo to think about it?

“I… uh…” Wonwoo tried to say, but words weren’t coming out.

Mingyu reached over and grabbed his hand. “It’s okay.” he said, even though it wasn’t.

Something told him though that Wonwoo needed the reassurance. It wouldn’t be good for him if he got lost in dark thoughts at a time like this.

“We can continue this meeting later.” Jeonghan suggested from the opposite of the table.

“Yes, we can postpone-” High Monk Junmyeon readily agreed, but he was interrupted.

“No. The longer we put this off, the worse it will be. People are dying.” Wonwoo shook his head, trying to compose himself.

The others couldn’t tell, but he squeezed Mingyu’s hand like it was the only thing grounding him. Mingyu squeezed back.

“As I was saying, from the little information I have managed to gather and remember by heart, it seems like the disease affects the blood. The animals were dead for a few days before I managed to open them up, but their blood was in a way worse condition than it should have been.” Wonwoo said, his voice a bit more quiet than before, but still strong.

So strong. Mingyu was so proud of him.

“Can you be more specific Won?” Brother Kyung said as gently as he could.

Wonwoo bit his lower lip.

“It’s enough.” Sooman said. “Don’t pressure him. We will focus on the blood from now on. If Wonwoo managed to get results from deceased animals then we should find some ourselves and continue the research.”

“I can still help.” Wonwoo looked at him. “I would like to see this to the end. Finding this cure feels personal now.”

That was good. Wonwoo needed something to keep him occupied, something to keep him motivated.

“Nobody thought to exclude you, dear.” High Monk Junmyeon smiled at him. “We needed a reason to allow you to stay with us in paper either way. Even if you aren’t a monk, nobody will question your presence at the monastery if you help us with this cure.”

“What about Mingyu?” Wonwoo asked with a frown. The alarm in his voice was obvious.

“Mingyu too.” High Monk Junmyeon said, hiding a fond smile. “As far as anyone outside the monastery is concerned, he’s your assistant.”

Mingyu rubbed Wonwoo’s knuckles with his thumb. “I’m not going anywhere without you. I’m not leaving you alone.” he repeated the words Wonwoo seemed to need to hear the most these past few days.

“It’s settled then. Should I get some men to clean up your old workshop?” Sooman asked Wonwoo as he stood up.

“Go.” Junmyeon answered for him. “This meeting is adjourned. I’ll call you back next week to report your progress.” he said and stood up as well.

Wonwoo took a deep breath and let go of Mingyu’s hand. “I’m coming with you, Brother Sooman. There are probably a lot of things I’ll need to personally fix in there.”

“Do you want me to come with you?” Mingyu asked quietly.

“Well… Do you want to see my old workshop?” Wonwoo asked with a faint smile.

Mingyu perked up at that. “More than anything.”

~~~

The next few days weren’t exactly uneventful, but they were emotionally charged. Wonwoo’s old workshop was nowhere near as well-equipped as the one in his previous home, but after a few days of tidying it up, repairing some furniture and building some tools, it was usable again. The monks helped stock it up with herbs and vials, readily providing anything Wonwoo asked for that would help him in his research.

Wonwoo ended up spending most of his time in that workshop next to his room. In the beginning, Mingyu stayed with him the entire time, trying to help him with his experiments and be a proper assistant. He had thought the process of finding a cure for a disease was going to be exciting. He imagined it would include a plethora of measurements and experiments with peculiar ingredients, not much unlike how witches were rumoured to make potions. With that in mind, Mingyu was ready to help him with anything he might need.

As it turned out, Wonwoo spent 99% of his time reading books, researching scrolls from the library and writing complex sentences between unintelligible sketches. He dissected a rabbit they brought from the town once, and Mingyu thought he was going to be sick as he ran out of the room. The more time he spent with Wonwoo inside his workshop, the more useless he felt.

It didn’t help that Jeonghan would come to Wonwoo’s workshop everyday with a stack of books, or with an important new report from the towns, and they would talk about their research in a language that was almost foreign to Mingyu. One of those days, Jeonghan took pity on him and kicked him out of the room.

“If you want to know what Wonwoo is talking about all the time, you can always read a few books about the basics.” he had said. “We all had to start from somewhere.”

Those words had been eye-opening. Jeonghan handed him a few books from the library and then, instead of just sitting around in Wonwoo’s workshop doing nothing, he tried to read the strange books and hopefully bridge a bit of the distance between him and Wonwoo.

Mingyu had never been the brightest man, but he understood enough of what he was reading. Whatever he couldn’t comprehend, he pestered Jeonghan until they sat together at the library and he explained it to him. He always asked Jeonghan all his questions, never Wonwoo. And Jeonghan always indulged him.

Sometimes, Jeonghan indulged him too much. It wasn’t long after Mingyu had begun studying that he figured he had _so many things to learn._ It didn’t have to be just about medicine or carpentry, or whatever else Jeonghan thought was important to know. There were a whole set of abilities he had seen Wonwoo display that had nothing to do with his brain.

How Mingyu managed to convince Jeonghan to teach him how to knit, he would never understand. When they were all having breakfast together at the back yard and Mingyu announced that Jeonghan was going to spend actual hours of his day to teach him to knit, nobody believed him.

“There’s no way Jeonghan would do something that doesn’t benefit him in any way.” Brother Kyuhyun had said, and Jeonghan had exclaimed in shocked offence.

So now, Mingyu spent a few hours of his day with Jeonghan instead of being cooped up in Wonwoo’s workshop all day. He had been uncomfortable to leave Wonwoo alone for any period of time, but he had to. He wanted to get better for him. He wanted to expand his knowledge and his skills, he wanted to grow as a person and be someone Wonwoo could talk to about anything he wanted and he could understand.

At least they spent most of their nights together. That was when Wonwoo was the most vulnerable, that was when he needed someone to hold him and tell him that he wasn’t alone anymore. During the day, he spent all his energy in his research, not leaving any room for dark thoughts, but it all came crashing down on him at nights.

Sometimes Mingyu cried with him, sometimes he managed to cheer him up, sometimes he murmured lullabies at him until he fell asleep. Sometimes Wonwoo _wanted_ to be alone, so Mingyu had to respect that and retreat to his own room. Mingyu had made him promise to never lock his door when he was alone though.

Surprisingly, when Wonwoo did decide to be alone, Raphael would accompany Mingyu to his room and he would curl below his bed to sleep. Mingyu would stay with the cat all night, reassured that he wasn’t the only one in this room who would much rather be with Wonwoo.

It was a long process, but they slowly started building a routine. A routine that included lots of food, lots of hugs and a lot of work. Sometimes Mingyu missed his home, sometimes Wonwoo didn’t have the mental energy to even get out of bed, but they were healing.

They basked together under the sunset and they refused to let their sun truly set.

~~~

“Jeonghan?”

“What?”

“Do you think he will make it? Do you think he will find a cure and save everyone?”

Jeonghan sighed and closed the book he was reading, but not before folding the page he was on. The afternoon had found him and Mingyu cooped up in the library, one cataloging every known cure from previous pandemics, the other reading about the different properties of herbs.

Mingyu couldn’t concentrate very well though. In the month that has passed, he very rarely interrupted Jeonghan without a serious reason when he was working, but now the words tumbled out of him with no restrain.

“I think,” Jeonghan replied, “that if anyone can do it, it’s him.”

“And you will help him, right?”

“Until the end.” Jeonghan nodded.

Mingyu looked at the floor thoughtfully. He expected that answer. The older had a lot of faith in Wonwoo. Everyone did. It was the best environment Mingyu could have hoped for Wonwoo’s recovery.

When he saw that Mingyu didn’t continue the conversation, Jeonghan opened his book again. Mingyu tried to mimic him and get back to studying as well, but the words seemed like they were moving around on paper, making them impossible to read. He couldn’t concentrate, not when his mind was elsewhere.

“Jeonghan?” he called again.

“Yes?”

“Why do you think…” he trailed off, suddenly uncertain.

Jeonghan side glanced him. “Why what?”

“Why did Wonwoo leave from here in the first place?”

Jeonghan closed his book again.

“Do you think that a small monastery like this would be enough for someone like Wonwoo to spend his entire life in?” he asked seriously.

“Everyone supports him here.” Mingyu pressed. “You all respect him and you listen to him. He had _you_ here, a friend. This is more than he ever got in the village.”

Jeonghan looked at the thick book in his lap and smiled. “We’re not friends.” he said.

Mingyu blinked once. “What? But you’re always-”

“ _I_ see him as a friend. It had always been very one sided.” Jeonghan admitted.

One sided? But Jeonghan always treated Wonwoo like they were family. Was it not mutual?

Well, if he thought about it, when Mingyu had asked, Wonwoo had said that even though he knew he was loved here, he never connected well with people.

“You seem to know him so well though.” Mingyu said.

“I’m just used to him. We _did_ spend a lot of time together when we were younger.” Jeonghan shrugged. “He never opened up to me. It used to piss me off that he seemed to be keeping his distance even though I was doing my best to befriend him, but it was because I grew to care about him that I saw what was truly going on.”

“What did you see?” Mingyu couldn’t help but ask.

“I saw glimpses of his true self. I watched him stare at a sunset for hours, not even stopping when his eyes were almost blinded. I watched him make five different types of poison in two weeks. I watched him bring a herd of wild cats in the front yard. It took time for me to accept it, but I realized that no matter how much I cared about him, I could never be someone that could understand him.”

Mingyu took everything in and found that he didn’t have anything to say. He wondered if he was the same. He wondered if everything he was doing was meaningless. If Jeonghan wasn’t someone who could understand Wonwoo, then how could _he_ do it?

“I’m glad Wonwoo has found you.” Jeonghan startled Mingyu out of his thoughts.

“W-what? What do you mean?”

“You have to understand that even when Wonwoo wasn’t alone, he felt like he was. He had always been searching for someone to flip between worlds with.” Jeonghan winked.

Mingyu gaped. So there were other people who noticed that Wonwoo wasn’t entirely _here_? Was Jeonghan aware of how broad-minded Wonwoo was?

“Don’t look so shocked, I know you know what I’m talking about. You’re capable of grounding him when he needs it, but you can also push him up so he can fly. You can be all those things I’d never been able to.” Jeonghan continued.

The words touched Mingyu far deeper than he expected. That was… exactly what he wanted to do, what he wanted to be for Wonwoo. He hadn’t been aware that his thoughts and emotions were so easy to read.

Jeonghan was speaking as if he had read his mind. And furthermore, he was calling Mingyu _capable_ of being all these things to Wonwoo.

“Does that mean that… It won’t be one-sided for me?” he asked, his voice shaking a bit.

Jeonghan laughed. He laughed loudly, as if he was genuinely amused by his words. “This is funny, because Wonwoo probably fell for you long before you did.” he said when he calmed down.

Mingyu felt his cheeks heating up and he looked at his lap. It couldn’t be… Could it? Mingyu thought of Wonwoo’s kind words, his looks of admiration.

He thought about how he had called him beautiful.

Mingyu had only thought about what these words meant to _him_ , but he never considered what they might have meant to _Wonwoo_.

“I think reading might be a lost cause for you today.” Jeonghan said and plucked Mingyu’s notes away from him. “Herbs can wait, go bring your knitting needles. Maybe that will calm you down.”

Mingyu smiled at him gratefully. He had a very special idea he wanted to try bring to life with his needles anyway. If he spent the rest of his evening with Jeonghan, locked in a stuffy room and knitting, no one could say he didn’t have a good reason.

~~~

“What do you mean you’re _scared_ of Brother Kyungsoo?” Jeonghan cackled.

“My fear is not unreasonable! He glares at me all the time!” Mingyu whined.

“Mingyu, he glares at _everyone_! That’s what he does! It’s not-”

“Well, it’s not nice!” Mingyu pouted.

“Mingyu he has _bad eyesight_! He’s not _really_ mad at people, he just can’t see them if he doesn’t squint!”

“…”

“…”

“ _What?!”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, initially, I wanted this chapter to be about Jeonghan. I had an entire backstory for him (with Cheol) and a sub-plot waiting to happen (with Jisoo). But then I figured it would be too out of place in this story. This is a minwon fic after all, and I don't want to take the attention off them. 
> 
> With that being said, after this fic is over, would anyone be interested in Jeonghan pov? :) I make no promises of actually writing it lol but maybe I could try.
> 
> Thank you for reading, feedback is always appreciated! New longer chapter in five days!


	13. Plus beau vu d'en haut

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HI!
> 
> (Let's pretend I didn't skip an uploading day. I'm fine, schedule's back to normal)
> 
> Warning for this chapter ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)  
> Remember this smut tag I had? Yeah.

Three months passed.

Winter found Mingyu in the monastery close to his village, the one he had been hearing about ever since he was a boy, but had never actually visited until he was forced to run there with Wonwoo.

A part of him still couldn’t believe that he was here. It was the first winter he spent away from home, away from his mother’s blankets and warm soups.

Now, Mingyu cooked his own soups.

Brother Kyungsoo was an excellent chef, and once Mingyu had apologized for misunderstanding him, the older monk had laughed and offered to teach him how to cook. With Wonwoo’s ever so increasing appetite, Mingyu had eagerly taken up this offer. He wanted to be able to make tasty dishes for the man he loved.

So winter found Mingyu in the monastery, and so did the first snowfall. This was the first time he didn’t rush out of his house to find Minghao and attack his exasperated face with snowballs. This was the first time he didn’t surround himself with blankets in front of his fireplace and waited for the rapidly worsening snowstorm to pass. This was the first time his mother wouldn’t make him clean the front yard of the thick snow.

Instead, the first snowfall had found him laying on the bed of a small room on the second floor, an arm loosely thrown around Wonwoo’s waist. The other had still been sleeping, exhausted from staying up late in his workshop the previous day.

Mingyu had opened his eyes to see the courtyard out of the window wrapped in a thin veil of white. The church bells hadn’t rung yet, and the peaceful silence that usually existed every morning was ten times more prominent now.

When the yards were completely frozen, instead of almost breaking his arms trying to shovel the ice away, Wonwoo and the rest of the monks simply threw salt out their windows and the ice _melted._ Easy and effortlessly. Mingyu had once again been amazed, and Wonwoo had once again been amused at his reaction.

How much easier would winters have been if people had known about this simple trick back in the village? They had missed out on so much by not letting Wonwoo share his ideas with them.

During winter, the cats of the monastery stayed mostly inside, barely going outside to hunt. Raphael was almost a permanent resident in Wonwoo’s room. Mingyu could count in one hand the times he had been with Wonwoo in his room without the brown cat watching them from somewhere.

This was what winter in the monastery was like. There were not many things to do, but Mingyu was keeping himself busy by helping Brother Kyungsoo cook, knitting, studying and spending time with Wonwoo.

There were times when it felt like this was a dream. Mingyu couldn’t believe he was really in the process of making the future he had imagined a reality. He couldn’t believe he woke up every day to find Wonwoo pressed close to his chest, warm and well-fed, and ready to continue his research for a cure.

However, Wonwoo could believe it even less. The reassurances that everything was going to be okay, that he was never going to be alone again were given out daily, and still, sometimes Wonwoo had trouble believing it.

They were getting there though. The more days Wonwoo spent in his workshop, doing what he loved most by working on the cure, the brighter his eyes became. The more nights he got to share his thoughts and feelings with Mingyu, the more burden he got to unload. Hopefully, one day it would reach a point where it wasn’t crashing him.

It took three months.

One of the last nights of February found Mingyu in his room. Wonwoo had said that he would go to bed late, and he had wanted to be alone anyways.

Mingyu had given up on trying to fall asleep. There was something about that day… He hadn’t realized what was wrong at first, but after he gave it some thought, he understood what was different.

Wonwoo was impatient.

Wonwoo, who usually had the patience and composure of a saint, was working like someone was chasing him. He tried to skip meals again, and every night he seemed to retire to his room later and later. In all the months they had spent together, Wonwoo had never sent Mingyu away from his workshop. He used to say that he was always welcome to his side, but today, Wonwoo had asked for privacy.

Mingyu tapped his fingers on his thigh repeatedly, trying not to let himself worry too much. The darkness in the room wasn’t helping his mind relax, so he got up and lit the lantern on the table. Now, with a soft amber colour painting the walls and the furniture, he sat on his bed and looked out his window.

The stars here weren’t different from those he saw when he looked out the window of his old house. They weren’t even different than those he had seen out of Wonwoo’s old window. The night sky was the same everywhere when he looked at it from the surface of the earth.

The stars weren’t changing, but he and Wonwoo were.

It took three months, but today, something was different.

Mingyu heard a knock on his door.

“Come in.” he called, not making a move to get off the bed.

The door opened slowly.

Wonwoo didn’t greet him as he entered, softly closing the door behind him. His gaze was pointedly kept to the ground, his shoulders stiff. He didn’t look like he had in the morning, he didn’t look impatient, he just looked… done.

In his right hand, he was holding a vial with a purple liquid.

Mingyu felt his heart stop beating.

“I made this alone, the monks won’t know the antidote.” Wonwoo said simply.

Mingyu’s hands began shaking, but he clenched his fists tightly to stop them. Had all these months… gone waisted? Was Wonwoo still feeling like he wanted to leave this world behind? Has Mingyu’s efforts all been for naught?

Wonwoo had looked like he was doing better. Had he been faking it?

Fear was slowly paralyzing Mingyu and he didn’t know what to do. He looked at Wonwoo’s face, trying to catch his eyes, but the other just stared at the ground.

“Wonwoo…”

“It would be so easy.” Wonwoo said. “It would be the easiest choice to leave this skin I’m not comfortable in behind.”

Mingyu gulped. He had to do something.

“You know, I can’t help but feel like in the lottery of the universe, I picked the wrong numbers.” Wonwoo continued.

Mingyu had to do _something_ , he had to get up, get that vial away, he had to _move,_ he had to-

Wonwoo finally met his eyes. His gazing was piercing, more intense than it had ever been. And as much as fear gripped Mingyu, he realized that these were not the eyes of someone who was giving up.

“You must have picked the wrong numbers too. You must have, because…” Wonwoo murmured.

Mingyu opened his mouth to reply, but there was no voice coming out. Wonwoo walked to the table opposite of the bed and placed another vial with a sickly yellow liquid on top of it. Mingyu hadn’t even noticed him holding that in his left hand.

Before he could react, Wonwoo poured all of the purple liquid inside that one. He kept holding the new vial for a while, gaze fixed on the mixing liquids. Then, he let go of it and turned to Mingyu.

He smiled. “I’m not alone anymore, am I?”

Just as suddenly as Mingyu’s heart had stopped beating, it started going faster than normal.

“No.” he finally found his voice. “No you’re not. I’m here.” he couldn’t help but smile back.

Because this wasn’t Wonwoo giving up. This wasn’t him deciding that it was too hard after all, that he didn’t want to continue trying. This was him realizing that things can really get better.

This was him finally accepting love.

 _That_ was what had changed in him today.

“Come here.” Mingyu opened his arms.

And without the smile leaving his lips, Wonwoo ran to him and hugged him tightly.

“You’re amazing. You’re doing so well, I’m so proud of you.” Mingyu told him, circling his hands around his waist.

A waist that was no longer too thin. Wonwoo was sitting in his lap and his body was a lot more solid than it had ever been.

If Mingyu had thought that Wonwoo was handsome before, there was no comparing it to now that his cheeks were fuller, his arms stronger, and the thighs that were on either side of Mingyu softer. Mingyu touched his chin gently and angled it so their faces were inches apart.

They didn’t kiss often, and even when they did, it was Wonwoo who initiated it. This time though, things were different.

Mingyu leaned in first, lightly connecting their lips, and he felt Wonwoo smile in the kiss. That was another first.

Mingyu cupped his cheeks and brought him closer. He felt Wonwoo’s hands settle on his shoulders for support.

“Mingyu…” Wonwoo murmured against his lips, and Mingyu gripped him tighter.

One of his hands landed on Wonwoo’s hip to bring him even closer. He didn’t want any distance between them, not in this. In this, they were equal.

Wonwoo opened his mouth and the kiss deepened. The eagerness to be with each other that pushed away any kind of embarrassment was always there and it was mutual. Mingyu didn’t think about overwhelming Wonwoo when he licked against his tongue, because the other was putting pressure on his hands and pushing Mingyu to lie back on the bed.

They separated briefly so Wonwoo could properly climb atop him. Mingyu looked at him, at his messy black hair, at his shiny eyes, at his long fingers that were touching him like he was something precious, and _he wanted him._

Wonwoo leaned down and connected their foreheads, a few strands of hair falling between them.

“Mingyu…” he said, looking at him in the eyes. “You once said you’d flip my world upside down.” he whispered.

Mingyu’s lips parted. He couldn’t look away from those deep eyes, where the same want as his own was reflected. It took a moment for the true meaning of Wonwoo’s words to register in him.

There was no stopping tonight.

There was no turning back to previous habits, old inhibitions.

Tonight, Wonwoo was his.

And Mingyu was going to flip his world upside down.

Their lips connected again, faster than ever before, more desperate. Wonwoo’s hands found their way beneath Mingyu’s shirt and rested on his chest.

Mingyu took this chance to circle both his arms around Wonwoo’s waist and flip them around. “Is that what you had in mind?” he winked, pining the other down on the mattress.

Wonwoo smiled and brushed a strand of Mingyu’s hair behind his ear with his long fingers. “It’s a promising beginning.”

Mingyu hummed low, his eyes roaming around Wonwoo's face. He would never have enough of Wonwoo's pretty face. His sharp but gentle eyes, his high cheekbones, his slender nose... And of course that pair of soft lips, that made his reality twist and turn with every word that escaped out of them.

Mingyu dived in again, cascading a tender kiss on Wonwoo's cupid bow. He sucked lightly at the soft skin under his nose, casting a few bites here and there.

Wonwoo sighed in content, his hot breath hugging Mingyu's mouth, before he arched his lips to kiss back. Their tongues found their way into each others' mouths, dancing gently between them.

"Hmm... Mingyu..." Wonwoo mumbled as soon as his lips were free again.

Mingyu pecked his way down, towards his chin and under his jaw, his mouth enveloping bits of soft skin, sucking on them before he released them and moved along.

He reached Wonwoo's adam apple and then the slope of his two prominent collarbones, continuing downwards.

His hands came up, sliding their way around the first button of Wonwoo's shirt and twisting it around his finger pads.

Mingyu kissed every bit of skin he exposed, gently and with meticulous moves. He worshiped his body, almost like the monks worshiped and loved this very monastery.

"You're so beautiful love. So precious, so kind." Mingyu whispered sweet words after each button was being undone. "You did well love. I'm so proud." he voiced, continuing his trail of kisses until he unbuttoned the last button that was keeping Wonwoo's shirt around his body.

Mingyu lifted himself a little, casting a hazed look on Wonwoo's exposed torso. He followed every movement of his chest, watching it contract with every breath the other took.

Wonwoo was alive. He was alive and healthier with every day that passed by. His moving torso was there to prove it. His beating heart, echoing through his ribcage and sending small vibrations through each vein and muscle was there prove it.

Wonwoo was alive. Wonwoo was safe.

"Mingyu?" Wonwoo's light voice halted his travelling eyes, bringing them back to his. "What's wrong?" he asked, perching himself on his elbows.

A smile broke on Mingyu's lips as he watched concern shift in Wonwoo's gaze. He bit his lip, mentally kicking himself.

That wasn't a time that Wonwoo should be feeling concerned or worried. That was a time that he should feel only affection and love.

So without answering back, Mingyu dived forward placing his mouth on top of Wonwoo's skin once again. He licked and bit the tiny slope his belly made, causing shivers to wreck through Wonwoo's frame.

He heard him hissing lightly, goosebumps forming in every corner of his body. So he didn't stop. He ravished and licked every inch of heated skin, until Wonwoo's body was covered with a faint veil of sweat and his breathing was coming out uneven.

Faded rosy petal-like marks bloomed neatly around his upper chest and lower stomach, decorating Wonwoo like the colorful flowers decorated the garden outside.

A hand on top of his head stopped him though, making him glance up. Mingyu found himself surprised when his gaze locked with Wonwoo's.

Wonwoo's eyes were dark, his pupils expanded oh-so-slightly with want swimming in them.

"I want this off… " he said, grabbing the upper part of Mingyu's sleeve. “I don’t want anything between us.”

Mingyu chuckled at his boldness. Wonwoo wasn't scared for what was about to happen. He wasn't even concerned, choosing to put his whole trust in Mingyu's hands.

Wonwoo had lost everything, even those little things he had worked so hard for to gain. Yet the one thing he never lost was the trust he had put on Mingyu.

Mingyu sat back on top of Wonwoo, quickly fiddling with his own buttons. He watched as Wonwoo elevated his torso a little, so he could pull his own shirt off entirely as well.

The thin fabrics joined each other on the floor, the same time Wonwoo's and Mingyu's mouths engulfed in one more kiss.

Mingyu felt Wonwoo's long fingers travelling between his brown locks, pulling and twisting them on top of his head.

"Inside my pocket..." Wonwoo muttered between the kiss. "There's a small bottle. It's essential oil. Do you…" he mumbled, detaching his lips from Mingyu's to give him a pointy look.

Mingyu smirked and pushed Wonwoo back on the mattress gently.

"Don't worry love. I promised something didn't I?" he said in a hushed voice, and with a last peck on Wonwoo's lips he reassumed his previous place at the other's lower stomach.

Mingyu threaded his fingers between the thin strings on the waistband of Wonwoo's breeches, pulling one of them so he could untie the small knot. The brown fabric was loosened up in no time, leaving its fate in Mingyu's likings.

Mingyu placed his hands on Wonwoo's hips, sliding them down, inevitably peeling the breeches off of his legs as well.

The pants were untangled and off to the floor in seconds, but not before Mingyu snatched the bottle from the pocket.

It looked like the rest of the vials Wonwoo had on his lab, but the liquid inside this wasn’t colorful. It was thicker and oily, except from the one stick of cinnamon that was shoved inside it.

"Cinnamon. Great choice." he commented, placing the bottle on Wonwoo's side, before he returned back to his center.

Mingyu could see the outline of a faint erection making its way on the front of Wonwoo's underwear. That was a good sign.

He slowly leaned in, placing his mouth on the clothed area and hummed low.

Wonwoo jolted as soon as the vibration passed through his growing length, a low breath escaping his throat.

"Mi-Mingyu." he moaned lightly.

Mingyu smirked as he continued mouthing around Wonwoo's clothed cock, coaxing it gently into full hardness.

Wonwoo's fingers found their way in Mingyu's brown locks once again, pulling a pinch harder than before. But Mingyu didn't mind it. The slight pain that accompanied the gesture felt strangely arousing, lighting a spark of fire in the pit of his stomach. This was Wonwoo needing him to feel grounded. Even in a situation like this, Mingyu wanted to provide that comfort for him.

He continued allowing his mouth to roam all over Wonwoo's center, feeling him jerking more and more under his touch.

Suddenly, with the corner of his eye, Mingyu caught a glimpse of a hand making its way towards his face. Long fingers became clearer, passing before his eyes and wiggling around the waistband of the underwear.

"Don't tease me much. I want to feel you on me." Wonwoo whined softly, dragging the fabric down and letting his hardness spring free.

Mingyu watched as Wonwoo fought around with the cloth, until it was completely off of his center and pooled around his thighs. His milky white, no longer bony thighs.

Without thinking too much about it, Mingyu dived in and brought his lips around the skin of Wonwoo's inner thigh, causing the older to groan and push his legs apart.

Mingyu made himself comfortable between them, not before getting rid of the underwear once and for all.

He neared his face towards Wonwoo's hardness again. He took his tongue out and licked a long stripe from the base of the length to its angry red head.

It was like an electric current passed through Wonwoo's frame, making him jolt violently. His mouth fell ajar, a low sighed escaping from the back of his throat.

But Mingyu didn't leave him time to catch his breath and collect himself. He gave him head. It was a peculiar experience, one that Mingyu had never thought he would be on the giving side instead of the receiving, but damn it was rewarding.

He took Wonwoo as deep as he could, trying not to gag too much. With every bob of his head, Wonwoo’s fingers became tighter on his hair. The moment Mingyu felt Wonwoo hit the back of his throat he swallowed. A higher pitched sound left Wonwoo’s tight lips and he instinctively bucked his hips up.

"Wh-where did you learn that?" Wonwoo asked, craning his head upwards to look at Mingyu.

Mingyu hummed under his breath, trying no to choke from the sudden movement. He recalled the small stack of papers he had found between the pages of a medical book Jeonghan had handed him once. The notes contained everything he should know about male sexual intercourse, first from an anatomical perspective and then from what it looked like, the perspective of experience.

It wasn't hard for Mingyu to realize who was the one that had hid the notes in his book. The handwriting alone said enough.

With a low hum he slid the hardness out of his throat, letting it go with a small pop.

"I have my ways." he said teasingly, licking a few drops of saliva that had pooled on his chin.

“I like your ways.” a small grin appeared on Wonwoo’s face.

Mingyu leaned forward and placed a soft peck on his temple. And that was only the beginning.

"I want you to be very calm for what I’m about to do now, alright? And tell me whenever you feel uncomfortable." he whispered in his ear, smooching his ear shell right after.

"Alright." Wonwoo answered back with a small nod.

Mingyu hummed in affirmation and began pecking his way down Wonwoo's jawline. His hand ghosted over Wonwoo's center, circling his fingers gently around his cock.

He palmed Wonwoo's member while his lips trailed down his neck and collarbones. Mingyu gave the cock a few tugs, to get him to ease whatever tension he might have had, but Wonwoo had none. His body was soft and pliant under him. Mingyu felt his heart clench once again at the trust Wonwoo had in him.

"I'll take care of you love." he mumbled against Wonwoo's chest, taking a nipple in his mouth and sucking.

Wonwoo arched his torso up, hissing in sensitivity. His hand fell on top of Mingyu's on his shaft, following the light rhythm he had built.

"So precious..." Mingyu whispered in his ear as he slithered his hand out of Wonwoo's.

He trailed his fingers on top of the soft, glistening skin, settling them between the squishy thighs. Mingyu kissed the older's cheekbone as he gently parted his legs, exposing his entrance.

He retrieved the small bottle with the oil and opened it up, dipping his middle finger inside.

Mingyu started peppering kisses on Wonwoo's neck, while he slowly pushed the tip of his oily finger in. The beginning was the hardest part, Mingyu recalled from the notes, so he tried to make sure Wonwoo was as relaxed as possible.

It was logical though that the new sensation would be uncomfortable at the start. Wonwoo’s muscles stiffened up at the sudden pressure around the ring of his hole.

He took a couple of deep breaths willing his tensed limbs to relax as much as possible.

It must have burned in the beginning. But one thing Wonwoo was always best at was being patient. He trusted the promise that Mingyu had given to him, so he patiently waited for it to come true. Besides, it was obvious that Mingyu somehow knew what was doing.

"It's alright love. Relax. It's just me." Mingyu whispered on top of the heated skin at the side of Wonwoo's neck.

He licked the small droplets of sweat that formed at the underside of the older's jawline, waking up goosebumps.

"It's _just_ me love." he said again.

All the sensual talk that Mingyu was giving, his sweet compliments and pleasing words, made Wonwoo relax completely. His body became pliant once again. The talk was so distracting and intoxicating that he didn't realize when Mingyu's finger was completely inside him.

"That's it love. You're so good to me." Mingyu kept talking as he began moving the digit gently.

A veil of sweat started to form, covering all the surface of Wonwoo's body. Truthfully, Wonwoo had thought that this was going to hurt, that he would have to be patient and endure it. He hadn’t been ready for this mind-numbing pleasure, that made the borders between pain and relief hazy. A small knot started to form at his lower belly, his length twitching and leaking on top of his sweaty skin, as Mingyu continued his movement.

"Mingyu please..." he started, low moans escaping from between his trembling lips.

"What is it love?" Mingyu asked halting his finger momentarily.

"No... don't stop please. Give me more." Wonwoo whispered, almost out of breath as he continued to jerk himself.

Mingyu smiled, sweetly pecking Wonwoo's adam’s apple. He covered a second finger with oil and proceeded to continue. Mingyu squeezed the second digit inside, slowly meeting the first one.

He heard Wonwoo's breath hitch slightly, so he lowered his face, taking one nipple between his teeth to distract him. He sucked the brown bud as he worked his fingers in and out, coaxing the tight muscle rings to relax.

Wonwoo started clinging to him, his breathing becoming harsh as his torso contracted strongly. He let out small whimpers and tiny sounds that were pure music. Mingyu would never get enough of that music. His own erection was twitching every time a small whine freed itself out of Wonwoo's mouth and entered his ear.

Seeing his lover so out of it, becoming a wet mess because of him, did things to Mingyu. The fire in his stomach was more alive than ever, growing with every passing moment.

The third finger didn't take long to enter. Wonwoo was lost by then, moaning and groaning with every thrust the digits made inside him. It was clear that he was getting closer to his release, judging by the rhythm he used to stroke himself.

"M-Mingyu... I... I want more..." he moaned, arching his lower body to meet with Mingyu's fingers.

"You sure you're ready?" Mingyu asked back in a hushed voice.

"Yeah... I want you. Please." Wonwoo groaned picking up the pace of his hand.

Mingyu smiled fondly and with a last kiss on Wonwoo's forehead he removed his fingers from inside him. He detached himself from his side, standing up so he could get rid of the rest of his clothes.

Wonwoo whined at the sudden emptiness, squirming on top of the bed. His hole was clenching around nothing and precum was spilling out of his slit and dripping on the hand that was circled around his length. His muscles were jerking now and then from the overdose of adrenaline that was running inside his veins.

"Mingyu hurry..."

"I'm here love." Mingyu said placing himself between Wonwoo's legs again.

His large hands locked at the undersides of Wonwoo's knees, spreading them further apart so he could fit.

"I want you to use your hands and keep your legs open. Can you do that for me?" he asked gently, brushing a strand of sweaty hair out of Wonwoo's eyes.

Wonwoo could only nod in return, placing his palms under his knees and dragging them towards his chest.

"Mingyu..." he whined again, patience running thin and lust taking over.

"Yes love. I know." Mingyu said as he lathered his own length with the cinnamon oil. He used a lot more this time, also spilling some directly on top of Wonwoo's entrance.

"Take a big breath." he guided, lining his erection with Wonwoo's hole.

Wonwoo obediently did, his chest expanding as he inhaled deeply. And Mingyu started pushing in, slowly stretching the tight walls. A set of deep moans filled the room the moment their bodies connected. It was so overwhelming. Wonwoo's inside was so warm. It enveloped Mingyu so good. He could swear that he could cum right there and then.

"You're so tight love." Mingyu mumbled out of breath.

Wonwoo didn't reply. He just bucked his hips up, making Mingyu get fully enveloped faster. Mingyu gasped surprised, almost dropping his weight on top of the older as he bottomed up.

A sinful and loud moan wrecked through Wonwoo's body as he clenched tightly around Mingyu's length. Blunt nails dug inside his knees, leaving small crescent marks around the knee pads.

Mingyu started peppering kisses all over Wonwoo's torso and collarbones, giving him time to adjust at his size.

"Does it hurt?" he found the will to ask, massaging Wonwoo's bottom softly.

Wonwoo didn't answer him. He had his eyes closed, inhaling and exhaling through his nose, in an attempt to collect himself. He was so full, his rim was stretched much more than either of them had anticipated. The knot in his stomach was tightening a lot faster as the seconds passed, driving Wonwoo closer to his release.

"Gyu..." he finally whispered, giving the younger the signal to continue.

With a last kiss on his abdomen, Mingyu perched himself up. He wiggled a little between Wonwoo's legs before he finally started to move.

At first it was a couple of shallow and shy thrusts, just enough to test the waters. Soon though, Mingyu built a steady pace, moving in and out of Wonwoo with meticulous but quicker moves.

Blissful. That's the adjective that came first in Mingyu's mind. He felt blissful, watching Wonwoo... _his_ pretty and sweet Wonwoo having his eyes closed tightly, sweat drenching his body as cheeks and torso turned red from the heat.

Moans fell like a waterfall from his open mouth, his hardness bouncing on top of his belly. Suddenly Mingyu felt Wonwoo jerking violently, a loud and strong moan coming out of his lips as his eyes widened.

"There it is..." Mingyu chuckled, mentally patting himself on the back. He had found Wonwoo's sweet spot. The _prostate_ , as the notes had helped him understand. The part that brought the most pleasure in a male body.

Without wasting any time, Mingyu placed his palms on Wonwoo's inner thighs, pushing him further in the mattress as he continued hitting the same spot over and over again.

In less than a couple of minutes Wonwoo had become a moaning mess. A couple of tears spilled from the corner of his eyes, as he kept repeating Mingyu's name under his breath, like a small prayer.

"Min-Mingyu. I ca- I can't hold it any longer." he moaned breathlessly.

Mingyu grinned. "Cum love. It's okay. Cum." he said, kissing the underside of his jaw.

And that was what tipped Wonwoo over the edge. With a broken moan, he craned his neck backwards, finally reaching his peak.

The knot in his stomach broke, his orgasm washing over his body. His frame jerked as strings of cum escaped from his slit, painting his torso white. His eyes rolled back, small dots of light filling his vision. Wonwoo saw stars.

Mingyu didn't fall far behind. After Wonwoo's orgasm wrecked through his body, his hole clenched unbearably tight out of sensitivity.

So all it took was a couple of deep thrusts for Mingyu's own fire to burst, coating the inside of Wonwoo's walls with his cum. He groaned low as he rode his orgasm, his temple’s vein twitching with adrenaline.

A sudden silence filled the room, which was soon broken by the sound of uneven breaths that were dancing inside the four walls of the lantern-illuminated room.

Mingyu watched as Wonwoo's chest rose and fell, puffs of air tangling in his throat as they forced their way out. He smiled fondly, placing his palm on one of Wonwoo's cheekbones.

Wonwoo cracked his eyes open, pupils dilated from the intense moment, but soft at the same time. He nuzzled his cheek closer on Mingyu's palm, a small smile breaking on his chapped lips as well.

"How do you feel?" Mingyu found himself asking. Wonwoo's well-being was his top priority, especially after such an intimate moment.

"Blissful." Wonwoo answered, voice hoarse from all the moaning and groaning he had done.

Warmth bloomed inside Mingyu upon hearing that word. Wonwoo felt the same as him. He felt happy, finally. That meant that Mingyu had done good. He had succeeded. It felt exhilarating. Mingyu leaned forward, placing a small kiss on Wonwoo's lips.

Apart from that though, Mingyu couldn’t miss how Wonwoo had used the same word he had to describe their moment. It took three months, but Mingyu… Mingyu managed to predict Wonwoo’s reaction for the first time. He not only managed to realize what Wonwoo was going to say, he also had the same thought as him _all by himself._ Somehow, somewhere, at this moment, they were on the same wavelength. Right now, Mingyu was not walking behind Wonwoo. They stood together.

With gentle moves he removed his softening length from inside Wonwoo's hole, making the other hiss under his breath. He watched as the liquid spilled a little out Wonwoo and he sighed.

"Let's find something to clean you up." he muttered under his breath, shuffling away of the older's body. A tag on his arm though didn't let him leave the bed.

"It's okay. Come and sleep. We will clean up tomorrow." Wonwoo said softly, turning himself on his side and patting the place behind him lightly.

"But-"

"No buts. Come here and cuddle me. I'm sleepy." he said again.

And of course Mingyu couldn't say no. Wonwoo deserved nothing but affirmation and positivity in his life.

He crawled away from Wonwoo's legs, placing himself behind him instead. He shuffled forward, his bare torso meeting Wonwoo's back. Mingyu snaked one arm around Wonwoo's waist and placed the other under his head, bringing him impossibly closer.

"Better?" he asked, dipping his nose inside Wonwoo's dark hair and kissing his nape.

"A lot." Wonwoo's sleepy voice answered.

And finally, peace and quiet enveloped them. Mingyu heard Wonwoo's breath evening out as the time passed. He could feel his chest under the pad of his fingers, that was rising and falling with more control than before.

Mingyu closed his eyes as well, a sudden exhaustion hugging his tall frame. Before he could entirely slip towards dreamland though, Wonwoo spoke again.

It was a hushed, barely audible, “I love you.”

Mingyu felt his heart clenching in his chest.

Wonwoo was so precious. He was so sweet, so innocent. And Mingyu... Mingyu loved him with his whole heart. He mumbled a calm, quiet _I love you too_ as a response. It felt intimate but natural, like a whispered confirmation of what they both already knew.

Mingyu felt so lucky. So proud that he had taken the chance all those months ago and spoke to him. Because if he hadn't done it... He didn’t want to imagine a life that didn’t lead him up the path of the monastery, a life without Wonwoo in his heart and his bed.

This was exactly where he wanted to be.

~~~

The first day of the spring found Mingyu stirring in his bed as a ray of sun hit his face. Its light wasn’t as strong as it was in the summer, but it still left a trail of dancing dust specs on its path. Mingyu didn’t think about cleaning his room for his mother anymore as he looked at the pretty sight.

However, after the events of last night, he definitely had to clean his sheets. A giddy feeling enveloped him at the thought of the previous night. Wonwoo was still sleeping on him, and even if he had lost feeling in one of his arms, Mingyu didn’t even dream of moving him.

Mingyu was happy. He was euphoric in a way that he had never thought possible, not with the life his parents had planned for him. And maybe… he didn’t want to get too ahead of himself, but just maybe last night, Wonwoo had been happy too.

Mingyu didn’t know what it was that had triggered the change. He didn’t know what gave Wonwoo so much strength to get rid of so many burdening thoughts all of a sudden. Maybe it was the time they had given themselves. After all, people always said that time was the best medicine. Maybe after all those months, it was natural that Wonwoo healed a bit.

Whatever it was, Mingyu was glad Wonwoo came to him to go through it together. Seeing Wonwoo like that was good for him too. Now, he had images of gentle smiles, unfiltered pleasure and shining eyes full of desire to replace those of burned houses and empty looks. It was time for him too to put that incident behind him too, once and for all.

And so, Mingyu realized he really was in love, without anything to hold him back. There was no questioning it anymore. This wasn’t friendship, it wasn’t admiration, it wasn’t simple kindness to a fellow human being. This was just him being head over heels for another person. This was simply him in love with Wonwoo.

Wonwoo with all his weird quirks and his crazy ideas. Wonwoo who was half out of this world. Wonwoo with the tendency to overwork himself when he had a goal to achieve. Wonwoo who was kind enough to help the people who almost killed him. Wonwoo who created strange things and had multiple coloured vials laying around.

Like the ones that were mixing on the table right now. Mingyu couldn’t understand why Wonwoo had brought them here last night if it wasn’t for threatening his life again, and he had been too preoccupied with other things to ask him last night. Mingyu turned to look at the two vials, one empty and the other full, purple and yellow.

Only… there was another colour in there now. The bottom of the liquid had turned a vivid red, and the entirety of it was beginning to change colour as the two liquids mixed.

Mingyu remembered about how Wonwoo had said the disease that was destroying the towns affected the blood. The liquid at the bottom of the glass… looked a whole lot like healthy blood now.

“Wonwoo.” Mingyu shook him quickly. “Wonwoo, Wonwoo, wake up!”

The other groaned and instead of opening his eyes, he closed them tighter. Mingyu chuckled fondly and kissed his cheek.

“Wake up Wonwoo, your liquids on the table are changing colour.” he shook him again.

“What?” Wonwoo said, his voice raspy and deep, but a lot more aware.

“Is this it, love? Is this the cure?” Mingyu whispered, not wanting to jinx it for some reason.

Wonwoo opened his eyes and turned to look at the table. He only took one glance, as if he was too afraid to actually see the inside of the full vial. As if he was too afraid of seeing his experiment fail.

Only it didn’t fail.

Wonwoo looked at the vial whose insides were beginning to turn red once, he threw his head back on the pillow and began laughing loudly. His laugh was proud and relieved at the same time and it was mesmerizing. Mingyu had never seen him laugh like this before. He truly had gone a long way from those half-hearted faint smiles of his.

“I can’t believe it! Mingyu do you see this?” Wonwoo exclaimed and grabbed Mingyu’s shoulders with a strength someone shouldn’t really have seconds after he woke up.

“You did it?” Mingyu mirrored the excitement.

“I… Well, I still need to do a lot more experiments because this blood belonged to dead animals, not living ones, and I have no guarantee that it will even work on humans-”

“Wonwoo!” it was Mingyu’s turn to shake his shoulders. “Did you do it?”

Wonwoo bit his lower lip and looked up at Mingyu, eyes sparkling brighter than ever. “… I did it!” he exclaimed.

Mingyu wrapped his arms around his neck and almost crushed him to the mattress. “This is so good Wonwoo! I’m so, _so_ proud of you!”

This explained everything. This explained Wonwoo’s impatience the previous day, he knew he was close to finding a cure. This was what had triggered the positive change in him, he had been close in completing his goal, and he felt _good_ about it.

Wonwoo patted his back and laughed some more, his squinting eyes catching the rays of the sun. This was a whole different type of music playing in Mingyu’s heart, and Mingyu thought it might just be his favourite. He leaned back a bit and cupped Wonwoo’s cheek with his palm.

“I want you to remember this, yeah? If it gets harder again in the future, you need to remember this moment right now and never give up.” he said warmly.

Wonwoo put his hand over Mingyu’s and returned the warm look. “Thank you.” he said. “I couldn’t have done anything without you.”

“I couldn’t have done anything without you either, so we’re even.” Mingyu said and kissed his nose.

There were a few moments that neither of them wanted to move from their spot on the bed and get on with their lives. Mingyu had to remind himself that they had their whole lives to have more moments like this together, and they probably should notify the others about the cure as soon as possible.

He got off of Wonwoo and pulled the blankets to the side. Wonwoo groaned and folded his body to a ball as goosebumps ran up his skin from the cold air. He was still in just his underwear, and Mingyu took a moment to admire his body for the first time after he made himself overly familiar with it the previous night.

“Get dressed, you have to call a meeting with the others.” he shook his head to stop himself for causing any more distractions.

Wonwoo sighed and slowly uncurled himself. “Right. We have peoples’ lives to save.”

~~~

“He did it, he did it, my baby did it, I’m so proud~!” Jeonghan sing-songed, hugging Wonwoo’s head to his chest tightly.

“Jeonghan I can’t breathe.” Wonwoo did his best to push him away.

“Shut up, today you’re accepting affection whether you like it or not.” Jeonghan spun them around giddily.

“Can the circus keep quiet back there?” Brother Kyuhyun called over his shoulder.

Together with Brother Sooman, they were observing how living animals reacted to being injected with the solution Wonwoo had made straight to their bloodstream. After a long string of experiments and some adjustments, it looked like this was the final form of the cure.

High Monk Junmyeon and Brother Kyung had already begun mass production, closely following Wonwoo’s instructions, and Jeonghan had started notifying the officials of the towns they were going to visit to distribute it.

Wonwoo hadn’t wanted his name to be mentioned anywhere, he just wanted to let their monastery take all the credits for his achievement, but nobody was having it. Wonwoo had lived in the shadows long enough. It was time for the world to find out about him and start accepting him. And what better debut could he make than being recognized as the person who stopped the pandemic that killed thousands of people in the span of a few months?

“This day is going down in history as the day Jeon Wonwoo completed his research of the miracle cure.” Jeonghan said. “We might not feel like it, but we’re all really privileged to be here to witness it.”

“Jeonghan, please, keep quiet, we’re working.” Brother Sooman replied.

“The rabbit is completely cured brother, and the human blood turned red again. We are ready.” Jeonghan persisted.

“We can never be too ready.” Brother Kyuhyun murmured.

“We need to be ready to counter any side-effects that might occur. This is a new medicine, we can’t risk it.” Brother Sooman explained.

He was right, of course, but Mingyu didn’t doubt Wonwoo for a second. The research for this cure had been the sole focus of his life for months. It was what had carried him through the toughest period of his life, it was what had helped him recover his passion. Mingyu had no doubt that the final product was as perfect as one could get.

“Have you finished with the distribution plans?” Wonwoo asked Jeonghan in attempt to distract him.

“Just this morning. We’re ready, I’m telling you! All we have to wait for is Brother Junmyeon and Brother Kyung to finish production and we’re set!”

Jeonghan’s impatience wasn’t misplaced. He was right. They _were_ ready. It was just that not many of them had let it truly sink in yet.

It took another week for carriages to get prepared and soldiers from different towns to come escort fifteen monks around the country.

Jeonghan was chosen as one of the representatives to see the distribution to the civilians through. Before he left, he stood before both Mingyu and Wonwoo in his travel gown and hugged them both tightly.

“Don’t slack off the knitting while I’m gone!” he told Mingyu sternly. “And get Wonwoo to continue providing material for your education. There are so many things ready to be discovered out there, you’ve wasted enough time.”

Mingyu was going to carry his words for the rest of his life. He had really wasted a lot of time in his village, following the words of people that weren’t worthy. When all was said and done though, he couldn’t really regret it. Everything he had experienced up to this point was what had made him into the person he was today, and right now, he felt like he was on the right path.

Jeonghan had been his first mentor to this new life he had chosen for himself and he had taken an important place in Mingyu’s heart. However, for Jeonghan, Wonwoo had been a much more important influence in his life.

“I don’t know why, but I have a feeling that when I return you won’t be here.” he smiled sadly at his old friend.

“I haven’t thought about that far.” Wonwoo admitted, smiling back.

“I know you. You only stayed here for so long to get ready for your future. Before I return, you are going to truly spread your wings.” Jeonghan added and grabbed both of Wonwoo’s hands on his own. “Take care. It may not mean much, but you’ll always have a friend in me.”

Wonwoo opened his mouth to speak, but he closed it again. Instead of saying something pointless that wouldn’t properly convey his emotions anyway, he reached forward and for the first time, he was the one to initiate a hug with Jeonghan.

“Thank you for being patient and believing in me.” was all he could say.

Jeonghan made eye contact with Mingyu as Wonwoo hugged him, and the younger saw that his eyes were teary. This felt too much like a goodbye.

That afternoon, Mingyu and Wonwoo sat atop the highest wall of the monastery and watched as the monks left along with the soldiers and fifteen carriages full of tiny vials. They watched as the caravan disappeared inside the forest, with the setting sun illuminating the path to save the people of the towns.

~~~

For three days after the departure of the caravan, Mingyu spent his time showing Wonwoo everything he had learned those past few months. Brother Kyungsoo gave him unlimited access to the kitchen and for the first time, he cooked a meal all on his own for Wonwoo.

He made vegetable soup.

Although it wasn’t anywhere near as delicious as the one his mother made, it was decent, and most importantly, it brought back memories.

“I hope you didn’t poison my plate this time.” Mingyu chuckled, bringing a spoonful to his lips.

“I wouldn’t dream of destroying the flavour of this. Mingyu, you have a talent for cooking!” Wonwoo said, clearly impressed.

Brother Kyungsoo had said the same during their lessons, but it was only now that Wonwoo confirmed it that Mingyu felt pride swell in him.

“If you eat it all, I have a present for you.” Mingyu smirked.

“What present?”

“Surprise.” Mingyu winked.

Wonwoo cleared his plate easily and even asked for leftovers. Mingyu served him a second plate eagerly. He didn’t think he would ever stop feeling a little bit relieved every time he saw Wonwoo eating normally.

“So what is the surprise about?” Wonwoo asked, ever so curious.

“I’m not saying.” Mingyu chuckled.

“Don’t I deserve a hint for eating two plates of food?” Wonwoo pouted cutely, a move he had definitely copied from Mingyu and used when he wanted to weaken him.

“Well… I can give you a hint.” Mingyu hummed. “I made this present just for you and I have worked on it for a long time.”

“Is it something edible?”

“No.”

“Is it something I can wear?”

“No.”

“Is it… like, big?”

Mingyu bit his lip to stop a smile from blooming. Wonwoo would absolutely have _not_ been a good _I spy_ player. The game didn’t suit him at all. He wasn’t good at guessing what other people were thinking, and he was even worse at noticing every tiny detail around him. He got too lost in his own thoughts for that.

“I gave you one hint, finish your food so I can properly show you your gift.” Mingyu said.

“Okay.”

When Wonwoo finished his meal, they washed the dishes outside together. Wonwoo was frowning all the way, probably thinking about his beloved sink. The water was freezing outside, and Wonwoo still got cold too easily.

Once they were done, Mingyu grabbed his hand and let him back to the second building.

“The surprise is in my room.” he said. “Come on.”

They crossed the yard and went up the first floor. Mingyu stopped in front of the door that had a paper attached to it messily. His name was scribbled on it, making the room temporarily his.

He opened the door and he left Wonwoo behind to grab a piece of cloth that was hidden in his wardrobe. This was his ultimate work. This was the piece he had spent all his time and energy knitting in his lessons with Jeonghan.

“I tried my best with this, but I’m just a beginner.” he said.

“It’s fine. Just the fact that you thought about me enough to make something is already amazing.” Wonwoo smiled, looking at him lovingly.

“Well…” Mingyu blushed. “I hope you like it.” he said and handed Wonwoo the folded cloth.

Wonwoo unfolded it carefully, like he was holding something fragile. He stretched it and held it in front of himself to inspect the design. Mingyu has been waiting for his reactions for months now. He watched as his eyebrows furrowed in confusion at first, and then at how his smile slowly dropped in realization.

“Is this…” Wonwoo began. “A gray cat? And… a deer under a tree…” he said, not really a question.

Mingyu had been very cautious about the timing of this gift. He didn’t want to show it to Wonwoo during a time where he was struggling too much. But now, after this chapter of his life had closed for good, he wanted to give him a proper ending.

“Anpiel and Mew.” Mingyu said. “The angel who protected my little bird and the deer that was the cause for all of this. We shouldn’t feel bitter when we remember them. I want to keep the nice memories, and I thought that you might want it too.”

Wonwoo didn’t say anything. He looked at the animals depicted on the cloth with watery eyes, and Mingyu had no doubt that images of their life and death ran through his head.

“Wonwoo.” Mingyu approached him and put a hand in his shoulder from behind. “It’s time to let go.”

It was time to let go of all the pain and fear that had climaxed during that fateful night all those months ago. It was time for both of them to move on and keep their fond memories together close to their hearts. Anpiel and Mew, despite their unfortunate endings, were forever going to be a symbol of those difficult times they managed to overcome.

Wonwoo wordlessly folded the cloth again, careful not to damage it. He silently turned to Mingyu and leaned his head on his shoulder, arms coming to hug his waist. Mingyu didn’t say anything either as he felt his shirt getting wet from tears. He just wrapped his arms around the person he loved, the person who has suffered so much, but was still here standing strong.

He didn’t expect Wonwoo to suddenly be okay, to magically forget about everything that has happened to him and move on with his life as if he had never been hurt. The important thing was that he wasn’t hurting anymore, he wasn’t alone, and he realized it. It was like he was daily getting a small dose of an antidote to a sickness. With enough time and patience, he was going to heal again.

So Mingyu let him cry in his arms, squeezing him tighter every time a small sob left his mouth. Crying was a part of healing too, especially this kind of crying that wasn’t caused by pain and suffering, but by acceptance.

Mingyu didn’t have to explicitly hear the “thank you” from Wonwoo to feel his gratitude, his actions were enough. Wonwoo was reminded of those he had loved and lost now, and he was just beginning to face his past in a healthy way.

It was a lot more than Mingyu could have prayed for him.

~~~

For the first time in years, Mingyu had no idea what he was going to do. With no goal in mind other than spending time with Wonwoo, he felt as if he was getting bored.

And if _he_ was getting bored, who still had all his studies to occupy himself with, there was no telling what Wonwoo felt. Jeonghan had been right. There was no way a small monastery like this could accommodate someone like Wonwoo for a long period of time. His restlessness was obvious in every action he took, from how fast he ate his food, to how much time he spent in bed with Mingyu.

It had been amusing in the beginning, but now Mingyu was starting to understand how the other felt. This life was too small to feel _bored._ There were many more things out there to discover and Jeonghan had told him to stop wasting time.

“I might have an idea.” Mingyu said one day, his feet dangling from the walls of the monastery.

“I’m listening.” Wonwoo said, his own legs crossed in front of him.

“How about…” Mingyu began, “we tried travelling to one of the big towns?”

“Hmm…” Wonwoo hummed. “Do you think we could make money to support ourselves on our own?”

“I’m confident.” Mingyu said with certainty. “You wouldn’t even have to work, you could just stay at home and create things, or-“

He was interrupted by Wonwoo’s chuckling.

“Mingyu, I’m not your wife. Thank you for the offer, but if we are going to start a life together, we are going to do it as equals.”

Mingyu gulped. He looked at the moon in the night sky, almost full and shining brightly. He didn’t think it was possible the amount of love he could for a person could be as big as the moon itself, but here he was.

Wonwoo wasn’t one to be limited by the bounds of earth, so it was only natural that Mingyu’s love for him transcended them.

“I want to spend my whole life with you. As equals, or whatever else you want. We can be friends, we can be lovers, we can be anything you want us to be. I just want to be with you.” he said sincerely.

“Well, not just friends.” Wonwoo scrunched his nose and pecked Mingyu’s lips. “I want to be with you too. I _love_ you, Mingyu. This… this is what I can offer you in this world.”

Mingyu pulled him to his lap and kissed him deeply, not trusting himself with words. He wasn’t afraid to close his eyes and get lost in his lover’s lips while literally sitting at the edge of a steep cliff. In this moment, he felt invincible. He was prepared to face any challenge life threw at him.

They didn’t get down from the walls until High Monk Junmyeon started throwing pebble at them, shouting about how they were being reckless and how he wouldn’t even be able to hold a funeral for them if they fell from that high.

~~~

Mingyu had placed the few belongings he had gathered during his stay at the monastery in a small bag, knowing that Wonwoo would have a lot more stuff to carry from his workshop and he would need help. They were really doing it. They were really leaving. If everything went as expected, this would be their last sunset from the monastery.

He should have known that when Wonwoo was involved, nothing ever went as expected.

“Boys, we just received a letter.” Brother Jyp poked his head inside Wonwoo’s workshop, where the pair had been packing up. “I think its contents might be to your interest.”

Mingyu and Wonwoo exchanged looks. Neither had any idea what this was about. They hesitantly followed Brother Jyp to the first building and he led them to the conference room, where High Monk Junmyeon and a few others were waiting.

“Good morning.” Mingyu greeted the familiar faces. He had come to know all the monks during his stay at the monastery and he had long stopped being intimidated by them. “Is everything alright?”

“Eh, I wouldn’t really call it “alright”, but we’re managing.” the High Monk made a face. “Sit down, both of you.” he gestured at the empty seats.

Mingyu and Wonwoo exchanged weary looks again, but did as told.

“What happened?” it was Wonwoo who asked this time.

High Monk Junmyeon sighed. “I don’t know where your feelings stand when it comes to the village after everything that happened, so I’ll just say it as it is.” he toyed with the edge of the paper he was holding. “The plague has reached the village. This is a new development, so Jeonghan hasn’t planned a visit to them to provide the cure any time soon.”

Mingyu’s lips parted in shock. To think that those news would reach them just as they were about to leave everything behind once and for all…

“How many are sick?” Wonwoo asked, unfazed.

“A lot of them.” High Monk Junmyeon said grimly. “The mayor and his family included.” he looked at Mingyu as he said those words.

Mingyu felt his heart starting to beat faster in fear, in a way that hadn’t happened in a long time. Mother, father, _Minghao…_ They were all sick. Even after everything they had done to Wonwoo, they were still his family. He had told himself he was going to leave his past behind, both for his sake and Wonwoo’s, but it viciously caught up to him. Mingyu didn’t know if it made him a selfish coward to even think about this, but… he didn’t want them to die.

He looked at Wonwoo with wide eyes, ready to beg him to make enough of the cure and let him bring it back to village. He would completely understand it if Wonwoo refused, but he had to convince him. He couldn’t let them die, he just couldn’t-

“We’re saving them.” Wonwoo said reassuringly, placing his hand over Mingyu’s shaking one. “Don’t worry, I won’t let your family die.”

Through every high and low of his life, through every moment of happiness, sadness and all in-between, through all hardships and fortunes… Wonwoo was the kindest person Mingyu had ever met. It would have been so easy for him to turn his back to the people who had so easily turned theirs on him before even getting to know him. After all the abuse, after destroying almost every part of him, it was the least Wonwoo could have done in revenge. Hell, he could have poisoned their water supply without anyone knowing and even if he wouldn’t have been happy about it, Mingyu would have still understood his motive.

People who went through what Wonwoo had rarely came out of it unscathed. It was easy to accept the malicious words that were always directed at them and believe them to be true. It was so easy to lose themselves in their hatred and give others more reasons to hate them, like a self-fulfilling prophecy. 

Wonwoo didn’t do any of that. Wonwoo looked above their heads to a world brighter than theirs, and dared everyone to follow him there. Mingyu would be damned if he didn’t give everything he had to be by his side.

“If I get to work now and we leave tomorrow, it will be ready for use when we reach the village.” Wonwoo continued. “A small detour as we go down the mountain won’t be-“

“I love you.”

The words were out of Mingyu’s mouth before he realized it. Some of the monks in the room hid their laughs behind their hands, and Wonwoo smiled at Mingyu fondly. Mingyu himself rapidly started reddening at his very public declaration of love. This was the first time he had admitted it in front of anyone other than Wonwoo himself. He was not embarrassed of it, but he was a little self-conscious.

“Is it settled then? You both agree in helping them?” the High Monk said, a lot lighter than before. He too was probably relieved that they had come to this decision so quickly.

“It’s fine with me.” Wonwoo said.

“Me too. We’ll leave tomorrow then.” Mingyu nodded.

So Wonwoo spent another day locked up in his workshop, much like he had been doing all those months. Mingyu watched him closely as he mixed ingredients this time, and he was impressed to find that he could recognize a few herbs and their uses. All the studying was paying off.

Wonwoo did what he always did when he had something on his mind; he stayed up late working, not letting his mind wander to any places he didn’t like. He couldn’t escape his thoughts forever though. When they laid together on the bed, he silently stared at the ceiling, unable to sleep. Mingyu was lying on his chest, feeling his heartbeat and letting Wonwoo play with his hair to ease some of his nerves.

“It’s okay to be nervous.” Mingyu said. “Nobody expects you to be happy to go back there.”

“It won’t be permanent, yeah?” Wonwoo voiced out his thought, his voice full of uncertainty.

“What do you mean?”

“You won’t, like, suddenly decide that you missed your home too much and want to stay there forever, right?” Wonwoo said, voice almost a whisper.

“No, little bird, I won’t.” Mingyu reassured him. “I want to accompany you to wherever you want to go.” he leaned up and kissed his cheek. “ _You_ are my home, not the place I grew up in.”

Wonwoo took in a shaky breath. He was trying to allow himself to believe this, even now that they were going to return to the place where he was the most uncomfortable in. It was only natural to be less confident that usual.

Like always, Mingyu held him tight and tried to wait for him to fall asleep first. But Wonwoo’s hold on him, his hand on his hair was too relaxing, and he found himself falling asleep looking at Wonwoo’s dark eyes staring up at the ceiling in thought.

~~~

“We should return Arielle to her owner.” Wonwoo said as they left their room the next morning. “It’s not like we wanted to steal her from him.”

“Okay.” Mingyu agreed. The donkey probably had a brighter future in a barn amongst others of her kind than stranded alone in a monastery.

Wonwoo was wearing travel clothes, and it was the first time Mingyu had seen him in pants that were tight on his legs, appropriate for horse-riding. It was a sight. The monks had lent him a pair of similar pants as well, along with a jacket, but for him, Wonwoo with his soft black hair, his pale skin and his dark brown pants was a lot more eye-catching.

They met with High Monk Junmyeon at the gate, after a brief stop to get Arielle from the makeshift barn the monks had put together for her. Brother Kyungsoo, Brother Jyp and most of the others that were left in the monastery were gathered around them to see them off.

“The horses know their way back here from the village. Just release them when you get there okay?” the High Monk was saying, ever so worried. “Stay on the path, and don’t let the night catch you in the woods.”

“We’ll be fine, I promise.” Mingyu smiled at the man. “I won’t let anything hurt Wonwoo.”

“I have no doubt you won’t.” High Monk Junmyeon smiled back, acknowledging the truth in Mingyu’s words. “The monastery will always be open for you. Whatever you need, just come back here. We’re not going anywhere anytime soon.” he said seriously.

“Thank you.” Wonwoo told the man. “I didn’t thank you the last time I left for everything you did for me. Everyone,” he turned at all the other monks who was looking at them, in various states of emotions, “thank you for taking care of me all this time and raising me. I will forever be grateful.” he said and bowed at them deeply.

Jyp was the first to cry.

Mingyu imagined that this was how parents felt when they saw their child all grown up, ready to take its own path in this life. It must have been the second time for the monks to experience this with Wonwoo, but something told Mingyu that there was something a lot more permanent about this goodbye.

“At least you’ll have Mingyu to feed you this time, and I can guarantee he will. I’m less worried about your health now.” Brother Kyungsoo said, glaring like always, but this time with watery eyes. Mingyu doubted he could actually see anything right now.

“Don’t worry, I’ve got it covered!” Mingyu chuckled and pulled the shorter man in a hug.

The hours they had spent together in the kitchen were going to be a very pleasant memory. To think that Mingyu had been afraid of him in the beginning.

“It’s time to go now if you want to reach the village while the sun’s still up.” High Monk Junmyeon said.

“Let’s go.” Wonwoo grabbed Mingyu’s hand. “Goodbye.” he called over his back one last time.

Wonwoo looked at the monks, the closest thing he had to a family, the monastery, his safe place, and took a deep breath. Mingyu squeezed his hand. He wasn’t leaving alone this time.

They got on their horses outside the walls. All their things, including the medicine, were already packed and they tied Arielle’s rope to Mingyu’s saddle so she could follow behind them.

A pair of yellow eyes followed their moves from the highest place on the walls. Raphael wasn’t meowing this time and he wasn’t running to Wonwoo’s lap to demand pets. He just watched them quietly from above.

This was Wonwoo’s cat, alright.

Mingyu looked at the morning sun and felt the familiar breeze of the spring forest wind on his face. This was it.

“We are going back.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Credits to my bff Salty_kisses_n_winter_hugs (https://archiveofourown.org/users/Salty_kisses_n_winter_hugs) for the smut! I can't write meanie smut, I think I have established it by now.
> 
> Thank you for reading, feedback is always appreciated! New chapter in five days! (really)


	14. D'en haut

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my god there is only one chapter to go!  
> Has it really been two months since I started uploading? I can't believe it. I can't believe this is almost over.

In the months that Mingyu had spent away, the village hadn’t changed a bit.

Despite the snowfall in winter, everything was the same. From the wooden fence that surrounded the village, to the fields in the distance, this was no doubt the place Mingyu used to call home.

Of course the village would have remained unchanged. The mindset of the people here didn’t allow for any significant progress to be made. They were too used to their routine, too comfortable in their way of life to face their problems. They hadn’t learned anything after his and Wonwoo’s departure.

The sun was just beginning to set when Mingyu and Wonwoo crossed the entrance. But even the orange hue of the sun Mingyu had come to associate with safety wasn’t enough to stop his stomach from dropping at the sight in front of him.

The market was closed, but not in the way it was on Sundays. It felt like it was abandoned hastily as everyone had holed themselves up in their homes. The few people that were outside kept closely to themselves. The worst thing was probably the silence that surrounded the usually lively market, only broken by some strained coughs.

Mingyu had never seen a plague before, but the moment he walked into the village with his horse, he could tell that there was sickness spreading here all the way to its roots. A part of him wondered how much worse it must have been in the heavily populated towns that had been suffering for longer.

“Oi! Who’s there?” an old man who was sitting on a bench at the side of the road called.

Wonwoo urged his horse a bit closer to Mingyu’s. His eyes were locked to the ground, like they always used to be when he walked down this street, careful not to make eye contact with anyone.

“Chin up.” Mingyu told him. “You’re here as their saviour, not their slave.”

Before Wonwoo could reply, the old man gasped. “Mingyu?! Is this you?”

“Good afternoon.” Mingyu greeted him politely. He tried not to wonder if the man had been part of the group that had burned down Wonwoo’s house, or if he had been present outside of Minghao’s door with a rake and a torch the following morning. “Is my father at his home?” he asked instead.

The old dude’s eyes were frantically darting between him and Wonwoo, eyes beyond surprised.

“I don’t think he would want you there. He is sick, but I’ll call him here. Don’t go any further inside the village.” he spoke the last words towards Wonwoo.

Mingyu sighed, but nodded. “We’re giving you half an hour.” he said, and the man hastily got up and walked away.

It felt surreal to be alone with Wonwoo in the middle of the market while the sun was still up, but here they were. Mingyu got down of his horse and turned to Wonwoo.

“Everything okay up there?” he asked, placing a hand on his thigh.

“Yeah.” Wonwoo said, a bit too timidly for Mingyu’s liking. He placed his own hand over Mingyu’s.

“Do you want me to help you to the ground?” Mingyu smiled up at him.

“It’s okay, I can do it.” Wonwoo said, pulling his leg over the horse’s neck and next to the one Mingyu was holding.

With a smirk, Mingyu grabbed the back of his knees tightly and swiftly pulled him to his body.

“I’ve got you~” he said airily, swinging them around a bit.

“Hey!” Wonwoo grabbed his hair, in attempt to steady himself.

Mingyu chuckled and very slowly set him to the ground. There was the faintest blush and pout on the other’s face and Mingyu didn’t let him get away immediately. He kept a strong grip on his waist and kissed him straight on the lips, unafraid of anyone who might see his affection. Wonwoo sighed after the kiss and laid his head on Mingyu’s shoulder.

“Better?” Mingyu asked.

“Yeah.” Wonwoo mumbled. “I’m probably just tired.”

Maybe he was tired from their trip, but Mingyu had a feeling that this wasn’t what he meant. This place was probably very emotionally exhausting for Wonwoo to be in. It took effort just for him to stand here, and Mingyu understood that. So he just hugged him tightly, trying to give him a bit of his own strength.

“We should tie the horses.” Wonwoo said at some point. “At least until we see what we are going to do.”

“Okay. After I speak with my father, we’ll stick to Jeonghan’s plan for the distribution.” Mingyu said. “We will go to Minghao’s afterwards.”

“Do you think your father will agree with this?”

“He has no choice.” Mingyu said with pursed lips.

So they tied their horses to the bench the old man had been sitting and sat down to wait. As much as he wanted to comfort Wonwoo, Mingyu couldn’t help being nervous as well. He had never managed to successfully stand up against his father in a conversation before. He hoped that he was strong enough now. He wasn’t the same person he had been the previous autumn. A lot of things had changed inside him and he had Wonwoo on his side.

He was going to properly protect him this time. He was going to defend his name and his integrity like he should have done from the beginning. He was going to make up for all the time he had waisted being afraid of him.

People slowly started appearing from the alleys connected to the market road. At first, they tried to be cautious and not obviously stare at their bench, but soon enough, there were too many of them to be coincidental. News travelled fast in this village. The old man probably told everyone he had met on his way to Mingyu’s father about the mayor’s defected son returning with the witch boy.

The people kept getting bolder the closer they got to them, but no one dared actually speak to him. Mingyu saw Heechul and Lady Hani amongst the crowd. Yongsun was also there, in the simple white dress Mingyu knew was her favourite because it was the most comfortable. He saw the familiar faces of the people he had grown up together with, but they all had the expressions of strangers.

He would have preferred it if he had his conversation with his father in private, but it didn’t look like this was going to be the case. Maybe it was for the best. A lot of people needed to hear Mingyu’s words and finally open their eyes. Like this, he wouldn’t have to repeat himself too many times.

Wonwoo grabbed his hand and brought it to his lap. His eyes had returned to the ground and he was biting his lip, but he still squeezed Mingyu’s hand with both his own. The murmurs around them audibly picked up.

“You’re not theirs anymore, you’re mine.” Wonwoo whispered as an explanation.

Mingyu smiled at him. He hoped everyone could see and understand the love in his eyes as he looked at Wonwoo. He didn’t think he could ever put to words how strongly he felt for him.

The brief shot of warmth started slowly dissipating when Mingyu saw the people in the distance moving out of the way so his father could approach. His walk was slow and heavy, his eyes rimmed red but boiling. He didn’t look healthy. Mingyu wondered how many people of those that had gathered were sick and dying right now.

A few months back, Mingyu would have sat on the bench and waited for his father to approach and start yelling and looking down at him. But now, he didn’t want to give him the advantage.

“Come on.” he whispered to Wonwoo. “It’s time.” he said decisively and together they stood up.

Mingyu’s father stopped a few meters away. That meant they were going to have to speak loud enough so everyone could hear.

Good.

“I see you have returned.” Mingyu’s father began. “If it is to apologize and hand the witch over to us-“

“No.” Mingyu interrupted him.

“You dare interrupt-“

“Wonwoo and I came here to bring you the cure of the disease that you are suffering from.” Mingyu said slowly.

Murmurs and exclamations of surprise spread around the people. Without meaning to, Mingyu spotted Nayoung in the crowd, hand in hand with one of her friends. Her gaze was steady and he wasn’t whispering at anyone. She was listening to him. And if she was listening for once, then that meant many others did too.

“Do you think that as the person responsible for this village’s health I would allow anyone to willingly accept something from a witch and a traitor?” Mingyu’s father wasn’t amongst those people.

“I have a letter from High Monk Junmyeon explaining the situation.” Mingyu said and pulled a slightly rumpled envelop out of his pocket. “If you don’t believe me, maybe you will believe him.”

He let go of Wonwoo’s hand and walked towards his father slowly, meaningfully. He stopped in front of him and wordlessly handed him the letter. It was sealed shut with the monastery stump, there was no way to question its authenticity. Mingyu’s father glared at him and then at the letter, and tore its edge impatiently. Mingyu took a step back.

For the first time, he noticed how much taller than his father he was.

He left him to leave the letter by himself and returned to Wonwoo’s side, where he belonged.

“For all of you who won’t read the letter,” he addressed the people loudly, “it explains how there is a plague haunting the towns below the mountain and beyond.” he said. Without waiting for the exclaims of doubt, fear and surprise to stop, he continued. “I told my father before I left, but he didn’t believe me because I had learned it from Wonwoo. It is futile to question the validity of this information now that most of you have already been hit by this plague.”

“Is it true? Has High Monk Junmyeon really confirmed this?” a woman asked Mingyu’s father, like she couldn’t believe Mingyu even if there was proof all around her.

“…He has.” Mingyu’s father grumbled. “I don’t understand why he didn’t tell me about this sooner…”

“ _I_ tried to tell you, but you didn’t listen to me. _Wonwoo_ has tried to tell you but you _never_ listen to him. While all of you have been ignoring and cursing at him, Wonwoo was working to find a cure to save all of you.” Mingyu continued.

“What?!”

“This is preposterous!”

“The witch boy made this so-called cure?”

“Does High Monk Junmyeon confirm this too?”

The voices of the crowd where getting louder. Mingyu turned to his father, whose eyes were still glued on the letter.

“Tell them, father.”

“…He is, alright? Mingyu’s telling the truth.” he almost spat.

“I am.” Mingyu repeated. “Wonwoo is not a witch, he is not evil and he never wanted to hurt anyone. You all ganged up on him and decided to treat him like garbage when all he was trying to do was help everyone!” the voice of his volume unconsciously increased. “You have all missed out on so much of what he has to offer. You hurt him, but he still decided to come back here and save you. When you go back at your home, when you are recovering and when your lives return back to normal, you better think about who you owe everything to and if you deserved it!”

Mingyu stopped when he felt someone tug his hand gently. Wonwoo was still standing behind him, now with a lot more people staring at him than they ever had before.

And that was how Mingyu knew that finally, _finally,_ his words hadn’t fallen on deaf ears. People were looking at Wonwoo, some with hatred, some with caution, some with disgust, but some, admittedly only a few, also in curiosity and regret. It wasn’t much, but it was something.

“Tell them about Jeonghan’s plan.” Wonwoo told him quietly.

Mingyu nodded. He couldn’t pinpoint exactly how the other had taken his speech, but they had time for that later. “With father’s permission, we would like to announce the plan the monks at the monastery have made about the distribution of the cure.” he said, not letting go of Wonwoo’s hand, and looked at his father.

The man didn’t like what was happening one bit. He kept sighing and his hands shook from holding the letter so tight. Everyone was looking at him expectantly, and even though he obviously didn’t want to give in to Mingyu, he had no choice. If anything, he had always put the well-being of his people above his own.

“Do what you have to do.” he said through gritted teeth and turned to leave. “After you’re done, I expect you at home.” he added behind his back.

Mingyu pursed his lips. His battle wasn’t over. He pushed the thought to the back of his mind as he watched his father slowly retreat to his home. For now, he had the villagers to take care of.

“Do you want to explain the process?” Mingyu asked Wonwoo.

Wonwoo’s eyes widened. “I… I don’t think they’d want to listen to me…”

“Wonwoo, you’re saving their lives. They should be kissing your feet right now.” Mingyu said, loud enough for the people around them to hear. “I’ll be with you the entire time.” he whispered this.

Wonwoo gulped and slowly, very slowly, he raised his head and met the stares of the people.

“Umm, hi, I’m… I’m Wonwoo. You… you remember me…” he began, and Mingyu had to bite his lip to not laugh.

That was so painfully awkward. Wonwoo was _not_ a natural public speaker.

“We, uh, we will talk about the cure. About how you are going to get it. Please pay attention.” Wonwoo continued.

There were some people who didn’t want to listen to him. There were some who pointedly averted their eyes, and some who started whispering amongst themselves again, clearly ignoring Wonwoo’s request.

The surprising thing though, was that Mingyu didn’t have to speak up and stop them. There were others among the crowd who elbowed the people next to them and told them to shush. There were some, a lot more than Mingyu would have expected, that wanted to listen to Wonwoo.

They wanted to give him a chance.

“Go on.” Mingyu urged him gently.

“Right. Um, for now, everyone need to return at your homes. Mingyu and I will be visiting you all to inject you with the medicine, and then you need to stay in bed for a few days until it fully takes effect. You should have food and water to your reach, and you should move as less as possible. That’s… that’s all.” Wonwoo finished just as awkwardly as he had begun.

 _How_ could there be people still afraid of him after that mess of a speech? Mingyu didn’t understand, but there were some still protesting about letting Wonwoo in their houses.

“Look, I’m going to be frank here.” Mingyu told them. “The alternative to this, is death. If I were you, I would take my chances.”

“He’s right, everyone.” Nayoung suddenly spoke up. “Go home and listen to him. It will be for the best.”

“Exactly. Thank you.” Mingyu smiled at her gratefully.

After everything he had dragged poor Nayoung through, she was still standing up for him. Maybe there was a part of her that really loved him, no matter what. Maybe she truly wanted him to be happy and caught on to how happy being next to Wonwoo made him. This was the last time Mingyu ever spoke to her though, so he never found out.

The rest of the villagers talked amongst each other a bit more, before deciding to listen to Wonwoo and everyone who backed him up and go home.

“We’ll start our rounds shortly, please spread the plan to whoever wasn’t here and patiently wait for us!” Mingyu called as they dispersed.

~~~

Mingyu’s village was not a large one. There weren’t many people who wished to live so secluded from the towns, on the side of a mountain. There were still enough of them though, so that when Mingyu and Wonwoo were done distributing the cure to everyone, it was late at night.

It had been interesting to go to every house of the village with Wonwoo, of all people. Mingyu met every person he had ever known one last time, and internally bid them all goodbye. Some apologized. Some didn’t. But Mingyu found that he didn’t care. He wasn’t the one who needed the apologies anyway.

Mingyu’s friends though, managed to surprise him. They were the only ones who apologized looking at Wonwoo. They had more reasons to be sorry than most of the village, but still, they were the only ones who overcame themselves and admitted their mistakes. Yongsun, Jinhwan, Changkyun, Changbin and even Kyulkyung. In the end, they earned Mingyu’s forgiveness. That was one less burden for him to carry.

Jung had been thankful to get his donkey back, and he even agreed to take care of the horses for the night too. He didn’t apologize, but he wasn’t outright hostile to Wonwoo, as some of the others had been. Many were polite to Wonwoo, especially the younger ones, recognizing his kindness even in the last minute. It was quite an experience to see how different people Mingyu thought he had known his entire life reacted to the person he had grown to love the most.

“Now it’s just Minghao and my parents that are left.” Mingyu said as they walked the empty market road, the moon above their heads.

Kyulkyung had informed them that Minghao was one of the first to get sick, and therefore he was in a worse condition than most of them. Mingyu was beyond tired at this point, but he pushed forwards. This day was important, and he wanted to have no regrets about it.

“What are you going to do about your father?” Wonwoo asked him. “I don’t think I’ll be welcome in his house, even under those circumstances.”

“I wouldn’t want you anywhere near him anyway. I don’t trust him, and I don’t want to risk it.” Mingyu frowned.

“But he said he was expecting you. He’ll probably want you to spend your night there.” Wonwoo replied.

Mingyu sighed. He was _not_ looking forward to staying with his parents again, especially his father. Their house reminded him too much of that night. He knew he had to do it though. He owed it to himself and them to say a proper goodbye.

“I won’t take you with me.” he said. “We can split up here. You can go to Minghao’s house, he won’t hurt you, especially in his condition.”

“Are you going to face your father alone?” Wonwoo asked.

Mingyu shrugged. “You don’t have to be physically there to give me strength. Just the thought of you is enough.”

Wonwoo looked away and chuckled. Even though he must have been exhausted as well, he still found the energy to laugh for Mingyu.

“If you say so.” he said fondly. “I’ll go take care of Minghao then. It’s time I returned his favour.” he added decisively.

“Take the turn on that street over there and after two roads, go left.” Mingyu pointed the direction. “You remember his house, right?”

“Yes. Will you be okay with the cure? You remember how to administer it?” Wonwoo asked.

“I injected over fifty people with it today. I think I’ve got it.” Mingyu winked, pocketing two of the last vials left.

“Alright. See you tomorrow then. Good luck.” Wonwoo turned to the left alley.

Mingyu blew him a kiss, making him chuckle once again as he disappeared from view.

~~~

Mingyu felt his heart clenching the further he walked on the familiar trail to the home he grew up in. It was strange. He had walked on that path hundreds of times, while he experienced many different emotions, but that night was not like any other before.

Mingyu was not returning home anymore, he was merely visiting.

No matter what, he couldn’t forget that inside the living room he had spent his childhood in, he had been fed the flesh of Mew without his knowledge. The thought still made him sick to the stomach. It was almost enough to make him lean over the porch and puke again, like he had that night.

He had to remind himself that things were different now. He didn’t need his parents anymore, they needed him. He didn’t crave their approval now, he was proud of himself and that was enough. He stood still in front of the door for a moment, to let everything that has happened to him all this time he was away truly sink in. Then, he gripped the two vials of the cure in his pocket and knocked on the door.

He didn’t immediately hear a reply and despite himself, he got a bit worried. Being independent from his parents didn’t mean he didn’t love them anymore. The fact that in the end, they had hurt him and the person he loved, didn’t erase how much effort they had put in raising him and Minghao. Mingyu couldn’t delete all those years of happy memories, no matter how much he wished to in his anger.

“Mother? Father?” he called and knocked on the door again.

Again, he didn’t get a reply, but he could hear faint coughing coming from the living room. He made a swift decision and opened the door without permission. He would rather apologize to his parents later than realizing he had been too late to save them.

Mingyu stepped inside and quickly looked around the living room. As it turned out, he hadn’t gotten a reply at the door because his parents were in a deep sleep. His father was laying on the couch, a wet cloth on his forehead and a thick blanket around his body. His mother was on the floor next to him, using three spare blankets as a mattress. The fireplace was lit, making the whole room excessively warm, especially when comparing it to the outside weather.

Mingyu had never seen his mother being so tired that she didn’t even hear the knock on the front door. Her ears were usually like a hawk’s when it came to things like that.

“Mother? Father?” Mingyu approached them.

It was his mother who stirred first. She turned on her back and squinted towards his direction. “Mingyu? Is that you?” she asked, voice hoarse.

“Yes mother, it’s me.” Mingyu kneeled next to her. “How are you feeling?”

Just at the sound of his voice, tears sprung up his mother’s eyes. “Mingyu…” she said sadly, weakly reaching for his hand. “My baby…”

Mingyu pulled back.

That only caused his mother to let out a sob and close her eyes. “Come back home baby… We miss you so much… Please, let go of that boy and return home…”

“That’s not what I am here for.” Mingyu said. “We’ll have plenty of time to talk about this later. Did father explain about the cure?”

His mother sniffed and nodded.

“Good. Give me your hand.”

Mingyu lifted his mother’s sleeve up to the shoulder and injected her with the cure the way Wonwoo taught him to. She didn’t cry out in pain like some children, but her face wasn’t pleased at all.

“Lie back down, I’m going to wake up father.” Mingyu said, pulling the blankets over her torso.

His mother used her shaky hand to messily wipe at her eyes. She kept looking at him carefully as he walked around her and sat next to his father on the couch. He had so many mixed feelings as he shook him awake. The hateful words of the afternoon were still fresh in is mind, but here he was, trying to help him survive.

Love was a strange thing, especially the one shared between parents and their children.

“Father wake up.” Mingyu murmured. “It is over, Wonwoo and I had visited the whole village. It’s just you left now.”

His father coughed the moment he opened his eyes. He was in a worse condition than his mother, probably from walking in the town earlier. His skin had a sick, yellowish hue and his eyes were bloodshot.

“Where is the witch boy?” was the first thing he asked.

Mingyu held back a sigh. “ _Wonwoo_ is staying somewhere safe. Somewhere you can’t hurt him anymore.”

“After how much he hurt me, he deserves every kind of pain.” his father spat.

Mingyu’s hand tightened around the vial. If he squeezed too much… A sudden urge took over him and he looked at the ground.

“Father, please apologize.” he said quietly.

“I have nothing to apologize for. It is not my fault you refuse to see how evil he is.”

“He literally made a cure to save your life.” Mingyu tried to say.

“For all I know, he caused this disease in the first place so he could play hero and win you over. He is dangerous, and I will regret every moment I had to accept his help.” his father, even now, refused to listen. Even now, when most of his village was beginning to open their eyes to Wonwoo, his father remained painfully blind.

Mingyu didn’t manage to reply, because a violent wave of coughs overtook his father. He turned to his side in attempt to catch his breath, but he was still chocking. Mingyu didn’t move an inch to help.

It was his mother that stood up to give him a towel to cough on and loosen his shirt around his neck. When his father finally managed to breathe properly again, there was blood on the towel and in front of his mouth. Its colour didn’t look too good.

“Mother, please lift his sleeve so I can get this over with before I do anything stupid.” Mingyu said through gritted teeth.

All it took was one glance at Mingyu’s hand that was squishing the medicine and his mother understood that she should hurry. Mingyu injected the cure to his father with a bit more force than necessary, but he didn’t find any satisfaction at the pained grunt that left his lips.

Mingyu was not the kind of person to revel in the pain of others. He wasn’t his father, and he would never be.

“You should sleep now, both of you. I’ll cook you some soup tomorrow.” Mingyu said, getting up from the couch.

His mother had brought a glass of water to his father’s lips to drink, but at Mingyu’s words, he almost spat it out.

“You- cook?!” he choked.

“Yes.” Mingyu said. He had almost forgotten that this simple act was something his father would have never allowed him to do. Only now did Mingyu see how pointless those restrictions based solely on his gender had been.

“Did your witch boy taught you that too? In just how many ways is he corrupting you?” his father raged, only to start coughing again.

Mingyu smirked, not only because his father had unconsciously called Wonwoo _his_ , but also because he had just the right answer for him.

“Actually, the monks at the monastery taught me that.” he said, once his father stopped coughing. “You’d be surprised at how progressive the true followers of God are. If you don’t want to listen to me, maybe you should have a long conversation with High Monk Junmyeon after I’m gone.” he said, once his father stopped coughing.

“Wait.” his mother spoke up, desperation in her eyes. “ What do you mean “when you’re gone?” You can’t leave, not again!” she cried.

“Mother please. If you were in Wonwoo’s position, would even the smallest part of you want to stay here?” Mingyu asked.

“Then let him go, Mingyu!” she said, her knuckles white from how tight she was clenching her fists. “Let him go to the towns and burn alone! You don’t have to follow him, you still have a life here! We can still fix this, we can still say he bewitched you, we can still find you a wife and-“

Mingyu snorted. He didn’t want to be rude and interrupt her, but the irony was too heavy.

“Mother… I know you can’t understand, but these are exactly the reasons I left.” he said calmly, slowly, trying one last time to explain himself to his dear mother who cared about him more than anything. “I don’t want this future you are offering me, I almost suffocated trying to live in it.”

“But Mingyu-“

“Mom, I love Wonwoo. I fell in love with him.”

His mother’s jaw dropped and his father gasped, his abused throat making a whistling sound.

“He is the devil.” his father said, eyes wide in shock. “He is making you sin, he is destroying you in every way possible!” he yelled.

But this time, Mingyu didn’t feel mad. He had said everything he had to say, he was okay with himself. He didn’t need, and most importantly, he didn’t _want_ his father’s negativity when he had all this love for Wonwoo filling him to the brim.

“I’m going to sleep, and you should too.” Mingyu smiled faintly at his parents. “I’ll still be here tomorrow morning, don’t worry.” he said that directed to his mother. “Good night.”

“Kim Mingyu, no son of mine is allowed to lie with another man, let alone an evil witch! Kim Mingyu, come back here, I’m not done talking to you! Kim Mingyu! Mingy-“ his father’s screams were abruptly caught by his coughing.

Mingyu started climbing the familiar creaky stairs that led to the second floor, not paying him any mind. He had done it. He had walked away from his father, his words not managing to hurt him.

Some people don’t change when you need them to, and that was something Mingyu could accept now. His mother had once said that you want to get better for the people you love. Minghao had proved that was true when he managed to overcome himself to help Mingyu save Wonwoo. Mingyu had gotten over his fear and uncertainty for Wonwoo too, because his love was stronger than them. If his father couldn’t get rid of his prejudice and false beliefs for Mingyu, then Mingyu wasn’t willing to let go of anything else for him.

He walked straight to his room, ignoring the empty ones of his parents and Minghao. It had been a good choice of his mother to camp in the living room. There was no way either of his parents could go up and down the stairs to the kitchen or outside in their condition. Mingyu was going to take care of them one last time tomorrow, like the dutiful son he was, and this was it.

He didn’t intend to ever sleep in his childhood room after tonight. He looked at his familiar bed, properly made and clean. Everything was tidy now, unlike how it had been when he was still living there. The curtains of the small window were drawn open, allowing the room to be bathed in moonlight.

Mingyu walked towards the window, but he didn’t open it. There was something that caught his attention there. He squinted at the silver light that entered his room and hit the ground softly.

So peculiar. In all the nights he had spent in there, he had never noticed his favourite specks of dust lazily dancing under the light of the moon.

~~~

Wonwoo was gazing at the moon outside the window of Minghao’s bedroom, wondering if Mingyu was looking at it too. This was the same window he had first looked out of after he had tried taking his own life. Through this glass, while he had still been laying in Mingyu’s arms on the bed, the rays of the sun had hit his skin for the first time in what had felt like ages.

This time, he wasn’t the one in need of the bed. Mingyu’s friend, Minghao, had been unconscious from the moment he had arrived at his house. He had had to use illegal ways to unlock his door and tend to him. Minghao had been worse than anyone Wonwoo had seen all day. There was no time to panic though. This was to be expected, if what the girl with the long, black hair had said about Minghao being the first to catch the illness was true.

After some snooping around both at the house and the shop downstairs, Wonwoo managed to bring two buckets of cold water next to Minghao’s bed, along with a few rugs. He carefully injected him with the cure, before he worked on getting his fever at bay. He changed his sweaty clothes and wiped him down with the cool water. He gently tucked the blankets around him, and then, the only thing left for him to do was wait for the other to wake up.

Minghao was most certainly dehydrated. As one of the first to get sick, he had probably locked himself in his house and forbid anyone from visiting him to prevent the spread the plague. Nobody had taken care of him before Wonwoo arrived, and it had been obvious. At least he was going to be okay now. Wonwoo owed him as much.

Wonwoo turned to look at the slim boy he had heard so much about from Mingyu. He knew Mingyu loved him, but he couldn’t imagine how their relationship must have been, he never had a brother to care for. They seemed closer than he had ever been with Jeonghan.

Minghao had saved Wonwoo’s life as much as Mingyu had that fateful night and the following day. He didn’t look like it, but from what Wonwoo had seen of him, he had a strong presence. He was the one who had led the others to take Anpiel, and he was ultimately the only one who had changed his mind about him before today. His face was delicate, but his spirit was strong.

From Mingyu’s descriptions, Wonwoo had always thought that he had a lot more things in common with this Minghao person other than their love for Mingyu. He had never actually thought that he would get to meet him himself though, especially without Mingyu around.

Minghao stirred, and Wonwoo tried to stay still in his place at the window. The other had no idea he was here and he didn’t want to startle him. He watched as Minghao slowly opened his eyes and turned his head to look at his surroundings. The boy noticed the buckets of water first, and then a hand a flew to his forehead, where Wonwoo had a left a drenched rug to cool him down.

Wonwoo took a step closer to the bed, and Minghao’s eyes followed his movement. It took a while for the sick boy to realize that another person was in his room, that that person was Wonwoo and that he had taken care of him. When he finally managed to lock his eyes to Wonwoo, he grinned.

“Look at how the tables have turned.” he said, before his eyes snapped shut again.

“It would be better for you to drink a bit of water before you sleep again.” Wonwoo said as he approached him.

“I can’t move.” Minghao replied weakly.

“I don’t expect you to.” Wonwoo murmured as he kneeled next to him, grabbing a flask of water in one hand and lifting Minghao’s head from the back of his neck with the other.

He brought the water to his lips, and the other eagerly swallowed. Wonwoo pulled the flask back when half of it was empty. He placed Minghao’s head back to the pillow and covered him with his blanket up to his chin.

Minghao was unconscious again by the time Wonwoo pulled back, his brow furrowed and his lips pouty. Wonwoo exchanged the rug on his head for a clean one, and went back to his window. He might have been tired when he first entered the house, but any kind of exhaustion was now replaced with the urgency to help Minghao through the night to the best of his ability. It wouldn’t be the first time he pulled an all-nighter after a draining day anyways.

The next time Minghao awakened, Wonwoo didn’t immediately realize it. He had migrated from standing next to the window to sitting on the floor, his back resting against the side of the bed next to Minghao’s feet. He had drawn his legs close to his chest and laid his head back on the mattress behind him, eyes staring off towards the sky out of the window.

“You’re as pretty as Mingyu now.” Minghao said, startling him.

“W-what?” Wonwoo stuttered, turning his body towards the other.

“You look different.” Minghao said, making a wavy motion with his hand. “Healthier. I don’t think my clothes would fit you anymore.”

Wonwoo blinked at him once, a bit confused. Minghao always noticed too many details, Mingyu had said. It was surprising to see that in action, but Wonwoo didn’t want to make things awkward, not now that Minghao was probably saying whatever came to his mind as a result from the fever. He stood up and walked closer to him to give him more water.

“Well… You’re pretty too.” was the only thing his brain managed to come up with.

Minghao let out a laugh, his throat making a whistle sound from the sickness. “You shouldn’t flirt with your boyfriend’s brother.” he said amusedly.

Wonwoo smiled at him, glad that he at least was making him laugh. He wasn’t flirting, but he wasn’t about to explain that to a person who could barely hold a sane conversation.

“I don’t like girls.” Minghao said out of the blue. “And my parents just want to marry me off and make me have babies with a female. Ugh. I wish a prince would come one day and take me away.” he sighed, and then turned towards a dumbfounded Wonwoo. “Or a witch. It worked out fine for Mingyu, I guess.”

“I’m… I’m not a witch.” Wonwoo chose to focus on this part of all the information Minghao had dumped on him.

“Yeah, I know.” Minghao sighed again, like he was disappointed.

Wonwoo hid a smile behind his hand. That was a new reaction to him not being a witch.

“Can you pretend you are one while taking care of me?” Minghao blinked up at him.

Wonwoo’s lips parted and closed again. “If… If it will make you feel better.” he replied uncertainly. “Here, have some more water. It’s… magical?” he tried.

Minghao snorted. “You’re bad at this.”

“Sorry…” Wonwoo apologized. “But seriously, have some.” he brought the flask to the other’s lips again.

Minghao drank the water dutifully, and then laid back down with another sigh.

“Try to sleep some more, you’ll feel much better in the morning.” Wonwoo told him as he put the flask away.

“Fine.” Minghao murmured and turned his head to the side.

There was silence after that, so Wonwoo assumed Minghao must have fallen asleep again. He walked back to the window, getting some distance between him and the bed. The things Minghao had told him… he wondered if anyone else knew. He wasn’t going to tell a soul either way though. This was not his secret to share.

His suspicions about accidentally discovering one of Minghao’s deepest secrets were confirmed a little before the sunrise, when Minghao’s eyes snapped open in alarm.

“Shit, did I tell you I don’t like girls?” he said, head snapping to Wonwoo.

“It’s okay, I won’t tell anyone.” he hurried to reassure the other.

Minghao didn’t look convinced. Wonwoo walked closer to him and sat on the floor in front of his face.

“It’s not like I, of all people, can judge you for something like this.” he shrugged.

Only then did Minghao seemed to relax somewhat. “Right. And I suppose that if Mingyu’s sleeping with you he’d be okay with me not liking women too.”

“He would have been okay with you even if he wasn’t sleeping with me.” Wonwoo said.

Minghao smiled. “So you admit you’re sleeping with my brother?”

“Well, yes. It’s not a secret. I’m his.” Wonwoo replied. This was the one thing he had never felt ashamed of.

Minghao’s smile dropped and he looked away. Wonwoo automatically tensed at the reaction. He had said something wrong, he could feel it. He didn’t want Minghao to hate him for something stupid he said, but he had no idea what it was that made him react like that in the first place.

He took a deep breath, trying to keep this sudden wave of anxiety at bay. He didn’t want to let his previous fears cloud his interaction with Mingyu’s brother, especially when they were having an important conversation. Wonwoo had no idea how to talk to people like Minghao, but he had to try. For Mingyu, if not anything else.

“Minghao? Did I say something wrong?” he asked, willing his voice to remain steady.

“It’s just… You’re taking him away from me.” Minghao whispered and bit his lip.

He didn’t have any fever anymore, he was in perfect control of what he was saying. Wonwoo clenched his fists and braced himself to hear something he wouldn’t like.

“If you say you’re his now, then that means he is yours too. I’m not deluded enough to think you’re staying here forever. It’s just that… I grew up with him, and now you’re going to take him to a place I won’t be able to reach.” Minghao said softly.

Wonwoo couldn’t say anything to that. He knew Mingyu had left his entire life behind for him. He still didn’t think he was worth it, so he couldn’t defend himself against Minghao’s words. Minghao knew Mingyu better than Wonwoo, he cared for him just as much. If Mingyu stayed here, he would be surrounded with people who loved him. But he still chose to follow Wonwoo. Not even Wonwoo himself could understand that decision.

But… Mingyu had said that it didn’t matter he couldn’t understand. He had said that there would come a day when he would be able to see his own value through Mingyu’s eyes and he would finally stop doubting how amazing he was. But until then, Mingyu had asked him to trust him. Trust that he loved him and he was a hundred percent sure about the decision he was making.

Mingyu had asked him to not doubt him, and as much as Wonwoo had trouble not doubting himself, he trusted Mingyu. And that was enough for now.

So that was exactly what he told Minghao.

“He chose me.” he said, eyes locked to the ground. “I can’t see why he would do such a thing either. But he promised me that I’m going to understand someday. When I do, I will let you know too.”

Minghao nodded, still looking away as well. “Yeah, I believe you will understand one day. If Mingyu really loves you, he will never stop showing you, not until you fully realize the depth of that love. That’s how he is.”

“He does love me. And he will stay with me.” Wonwoo said with his new-found conviction. He couldn’t doubt those facts, not when Mingyu had been whispering them every night in his ear for months now. Not when they had been the only thing keeping him going during bad days. Not when it was just those facts that had helped him recover as much as he had. “But he loves you too.” he told Minghao. There was something in his tone that made Minghao turn around, and their eyes met. “It doesn’t matter that he won’t be here to show you daily. He loves you, and you love him too, and that love will be enough to fill the distance between you. Please believe in him.”

Minghao closed his eyes, as if to lock these words inside his brain. He was a smart person, he understood what Wonwoo was trying to say even if he could not articulate it properly. He didn’t reply immediately, but when he did, it was with a smile. “You’re alright Wonwoo. Even if you’re not a witch.” he said.

Wonwoo let out a relieved breath. “Thank you.”

“But you know, I still have no idea why you’re here. Did you receive my letter at the monastery?” Minghao asked, changing the subject of their conversation.

Wonwoo stood a little straighter at that. “Your letter? You’re the one who notified us that the village was infected?” he asked.

“Yes. I was the only one who knew about the plague and believed it was real, I had to do something about it.” Minghao shrugged.

“What did you do?” Wonwoo asked.

“Well, after you left, I somehow had to stop the village from getting infected. Without you here, there was no way we could survive the plague if it reached us.” Minghao explained. “In the beginning, I tried to do what you did, and buy every little item that came from the town, but there were just too many, and the villagers still came in contact with merchants from the towns that could very well be infected. So I… might have destroyed the road that connects the village to the town.” Minghao said sheepishly.

“Good.” Wonwoo said. “That was clever.”

Minghao glanced at him with a hint of surprise. He probably didn’t expect that reaction when admitting that he had destroyed a public road.

“It was fine in the beginning.” Minghao continued. “But there were some people stupid enough to try and come here from inside the mountain. I set traps for them and pretended I was a bandit to scare them away. It was a good plan, but it backfired because in the end, I got sick myself, and I was the one who ended up infecting the whole village. Sending a letter to the monks was my last hope.”

So that was why the village had managed to survive all those months. It was Minghao who had protected them. Minghao, who was the first villager after Mingyu to trust Wonwoo’s words. Wonwoo almost couldn’t believe it.

“I made a cure. That’s why Mingyu and I are here.” he told Minghao. “You gave me the time needed to save this village. Thank you.”

“Shut up.” Minghao reached to slap his shoulder lightly. “As if I could have done anything without you.”

Wonwoo smiled at the ground. He didn’t think he would ever have this kind of interaction with someone outside of the monastery. Especially with the boy that had once stolen his beloved cat to hurt him, just because he could.

“So you just like… made this cure?” Minghao asked curiously and Wonwoo nodded. “Are you sure you’re not a witch?”

“I’m pretty sure.” Wonwoo smiled at him.

“Then you must be crazy smart. What did you see in Mingyu again?” Minghao asked and Wonwoo laughed.

It was strange, laughing with a person he neither knew all his life nor was Mingyu. It was only after he shared laughter with him that he finally allowed himself to relax in Minghao’s presence. The moment he did, a loud yawn escaped his lips.

“You didn’t sleep last night, did you?” Minghao asked him.

“I had to look after you.” Wonwoo replied simply.

“Where’s Mingyu?”

“At your parents’ home.” Wonwoo said and Minghao made a face.

“I hope everything works out for him.”

~~~

The next morning, Mingyu got out of his bed and went to downstairs to cook food for his parents, like he had promised. His father was still asleep on the couch, his breathing calmer than the previous night.

His mother was awake though. She was sitting next to his father’s side, gently holding his hand on her lap. She looked worn down, with deep dark circles under her eyes and disheveled hair. It reminded Mingyu of how worried he had been for Wonwoo the night he had taken that poison. His parents had truly grown to love each other from an arranged marriage. That in itself was admirable for people like them.

Mingyu waved at his mother silently, to not disturb his sleeping father, and headed to the kitchen. He began preparing the ingredients Brother Kyungsoo had made him memorize for a vegetable soup, when he felt his mother entering the kitchen and closing the door behind her.

“Let me help you with that, baby.” she called, coming to stand next to him.

“It’s okay mother, you need to rest, I’ve got this.”

“Please, Mingyu. Let me cook with my son for the first and last time.” she smiled sadly at him, tears already beginning to well in her eyes.

If Mingyu was surprised at her words, he didn’t show it. He just silently stepped aside and began peeling cucumbers, as she took even more spices from her cupboard than Mingyu would have ever imagined. They worked together in complete silence, only interrupted by chopping noises and the boiling water on the stove.

Mingyu tried to remember what his mother was doing. He watched closely as she passed down her recipe for her legendary vegetable soup on him. Mingyu wondered if this was the last lesson he was ever going to receive from her. Despite all his mother’s flaws, she had poured her entire soul in raising him and teaching him whatever she could.

“Are you happy, my baby?” his mother was the first to break the silence, her hands shaking as she added pepper to the broth. “Are you in peace now?”

“I am.” Mingyu didn’t hesitate to answer. “I have never been happier than when I am with Wonwoo.”

His mother pursed her lips. “I don’t understand what I did wrong. Maybe this is what makes everything so hard for me to accept. I genuinely have no idea what I did that made you choose to leave your entire future behind for someone like that boy.”

And despite everything, Mingyu believed her. His mother had always tried to be accepting, she tried to be lenient with him, she had accepted Minghao with open arms. It wasn’t her fault that she couldn’t understand. Maybe Mingyu could never forgive his father for what he had done, but his mother was a whole different story.

His mother was like Jeonghan, or at least she was trying to be. She couldn’t understand Mingyu, much in the same way Jeonghan couldn’t understand Wonwoo, but she cared for him deeply. His mother was here, trying to teach him how to cook his favourite soup because that was what Mingyu needed, not because she wanted it.

His mother was still trying to overcome herself for him, and Mingyu felt tears dripping down his cheeks before he could stop them.

“It’s not your fault, mom.” he said, turning to look at the woman that had given birth to him in the eyes. “You did what everyone does. You did your best.”

A sob escaped his mother’s lips, and before Mingyu knew they were hugging tightly. They held on to each other for one last time, trying to reassure each other that no matter what, they still loved each other. The kind of love that was between a mother and her child was indestructible.

Maybe it wasn’t today, or tomorrow, but Mingyu realized that he was going to forgive her one day, much the same way she was going to forgive him. That was what they could offer each other in this world.

It felt like years had passed before they could separate from each other’s arms, decades before they could stop crying together.

“The soup will be ready soon.” his mother sniffed, a sad smile on her lips. “You think you will remember the recipe?”

“I will.” Mingyu nodded, furiously wiping at his eyes.

“Good. Please cook it for Wonwoo one day in my place. Tell him I’m sorry I will never be able to cook for him.” she said, and Mingyu felt a new wave tears escaping.

This was his mother apologizing for not being able to ever accept Wonwoo. She didn’t apologize for the way she had treated him, but she was apologizing for not being able to treat him the way Mingyu wanted her to.

“Don’t worry,” Mingyu said, his voice trembling. “He will understand. And I will carry your recipe to my heart forever, along with everything else that you have taught me.”

“I will pray for you every night, my son.” his mother squeezed his hand one last time, before she let go for good.

Mingyu left his house while his father was still sleeping. It was better this way. Like this, Mingyu’s last image of him would be a clam, peaceful one instead of yelling and disapproval.

Before Mingyu left the living room, he glanced at the cloth of the Last Supper. Mingyu would always remember the last meal he had had at the table under it. It hadn’t been pleasant, but he had survived it. Now, a whole new life was waiting for him out there. That was the point this image was trying to make all this time, wasn’t it? Mingyu had to leave his old life behind to begin a new, better one. Death before life.

For once, Mingyu didn’t feel bad while looking at the cloth his mother had worked so hard to create. He understood its true meaning now.

He opened the front door and paused at the doorstep, looking at the front yard of his childhood while the morning sun was touching his face. He looked back at his mother, who had returned to his father’s side once again, and waved at her goodbye.

Then, he took a step outside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There we go. I know many of you probably wished a worse ending for Mingyu's father (my beta reader did too lol) but we stan forgiveness in this household. 
> 
> In my notes, this was the last official chapter. Next up will be the epilogue and then we're done. I'm going to be an emotional mess in five days just wait TT
> 
> Thank you for reading, feedback is always appreciated!


	15. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello. Final chapter. If you haven't already listened to this song, do it. This whole story will hit differently. 
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W29zEuZVaxs&t=1s

So Mingyu left his previous home behind. There were no more loose ends for him to tie, no one left to say goodbye to. A few stray tears escaped his eyes as he made his way to Minghao’s house, but there was no one around to see them.

The entire population of the village was staying in their houses today, recovering from a sickness that had endangered their lives. In all the years he had been alive, Mingyu had never seen the village as quiet and peaceful as today.

It was a good day to leave.

Mingyu got the spare key from the little pot he knew Minghao always hid it under and entered the barber’s shop. He could see light coming from upstairs, where Minghao’s bedroom was. Even if the rest of the building was still in darkness because of the thick curtains at every window, Minghao’s bedroom was shining.

Mingyu climbed the stairs, a bit surprised that the silence in here was as prominent as outside. His surprise turned into warmth as he found the two most important people in his life. They were both asleep, Minghao on the bed, and Wonwoo sitting on the floor with his head resting on the mattress, body angled towards Minghao, like they had been talking before sleep won them over.

Mingyu noticed the buckets of water and the rugs, as well as the empty cure vial. Under the rays of the morning sun that was coming from the window, there were tiny, glowing dots of dust gliding through the air.

Mingyu sat on the floor as well, unable to carry his weight any longer. He sent a prayer to the whatever god was out there, thanking them for giving him the strength to make all the right decisions. Thanking them for letting him make the decisions that led him to witness a scene like this.

He slowly pulled himself towards Wonwoo and wrapped his arms around his waist from behind. He placed his head between his shoulder blades and closed his eyes, letting the serene moment seep into him for as long as it lasted.

Alas, beautiful moments were fleeting in this life. People barely managed to take a glimpse of them before they were gone, left to live only in their memory. That was not to say that life was consisted of mostly ugly moments. The reason positive moments disappeared so quickly was to give way for new ones to happen.

This time too, Wonwoo stirred when he felt Mingyu’s weight on him, but he wasn’t startled awake. He simply took Mingyu’s hands in his own and leaned back on him. A beautiful moment to replace another beautiful moment.

“Good morning.” Wonwoo murmured, his voice groggy.

“Hello.” Mingyu placed a kiss on his nape. “How did you know it was me?” he whispered, so as not to wake Minghao.

“Who else would hug me here?” Wonwoo replied.

Mingyu closed his eyes and hugged him tighter. “Everything okay with Minghao?” he asked, changing the subject.

Wonwoo hummed affirmatively. “He saved your village in our absence.”

“He did?”

“Your brother is a good person. He will be fine.” Wonwoo said simply.

Mingyu looked over at Minghao’s sleeping face. How many times he had seen this same face? It was surreal to think that he was leaving it behind now. Out of everyone, his goodbye with Minghao was going to be the hardest.

“If we want to reach the shelter at the bottom of the mountain, we should leave now. Minghao blew up the normal route so it will take longer to find our way through the mountain.” Wonwoo said.

“He did what now?” Mingyu pulled back.

Wonwoo smiled at him. “I’ll explain later.” he promised.

Getting up from the floor and walking closer to Minghao was harder than ever before. Mingyu didn’t want to say goodbye. He didn’t want to leave him alone.

“This doesn’t have to be a goodbye.”

Mingyu watched Minghao open his eyes and looking at him with the same look he used when he was about to lose in _I spy._ Not really angry, but determined.

“My house will always be open to you.” Minghao continued. “Both of you.” he added, glancing at Wonwoo.

“Idiot.” Mingyu huffed and leaned down to hug his best friend. “How long have you been awake and spying on our conversation?” he asked, pretending to be annoyed.

“However long I wanted. It’s not like you would have ever been able to catch me.” Minghao stuck his tongue out.

“I can’t believe I’m going to miss you and your ugly mullet.” Mingyu said, trying to not cry again.

“You can always visit.” Minghao said, wrapping his own arms around Mingyu’s torso. “Maybe in a few years I’ll even own a bigger house with my husband.”

“…Your what?” Mingyu asked confused.

“Did I stutter?”

Mingyu pulled a little back and saw that Minghao was looking at him seriously. He was trying to communicate something with his eyes. Mingyu has spent his entire life trying to understand Minghao from just the looks he was giving him. His experience didn’t fail him this time.

“…I see.” he said knowingly. “Honestly, if anyone can convince a priest to perform a wedding between two men, it will definitely be you.” he smiled at him.

Minghao beamed at him, and Mingyu hugged him once again. “Whatever you do, always remember that I slept with a man first, therefore I am officially better than you.” he whispered teasingly in his ear.

Minghao slapped the back of his head and pushed him away. “Can you leave this village already?” he said with exasperation, but he was still smiling at Mingyu like he had given him a surprise present.

“On it.” Mingyu laughed, grabbing Wonwoo’s hand. “This is not goodbye then.” he said at Minghao.

“Definitely not.” the boy sat up to see them off. “I’ll be expecting your visit.”

“Take care Minghao.” Wonwoo spoke up too. “Don’t push yourself too hard for a few days until you’ve completely recovered.”

“Yes sir.” Minghao said dutifully.

“See you later, then.” Mingyu waved at his brother.

“Be happy.” Minghao waved back.

Mingyu went down the stairs of Minghao’s house with and odd excitement coursing through him. This was the end, but also the beginning. Death before life. There was nothing to fear about this death, like religion had taught him. Instead, he felt liberated, ready to start anew.

He went with Wonwoo to Jung’s farm to release their horses so they could return back to the monastery. It was a pity they couldn’t bring them with them all the way to the town, but walking was fine too. Now that they had delivered every vial of cure, there weren’t many things to carry with them.

“Mingyu.” Wonwoo said, as they watched the two horses ride away from the barn. “Give me your arm.”

Mingyu complied without question. He didn’t expect Wonwoo to swiftly lift his sleeve and inject him with the cure they had been giving around though. Mingyu yelped, more in surprise than actual pain and pulled his hand back.

“Why?” he asked Wonwoo with a pout.

“Because we definitely contracted the sickness too, after being around all those sick people.” Wonwoo winced as he injected himself too.

Mingyu gulped. He hadn’t thought about that. Thank god Wonwoo had enough foresight for both of them.

They said goodbye to Arielle the donkey, who was happy to be back to her original barn, and they hit the market road, heavy backpacks on their backs.

They were almost in the middle of crossing the market road when Mingyu stopped in his tracks.

“What’s wrong?” Wonwoo asked immediately.

Mingyu didn’t reply. He turned his head to the side of the road.

There, amongst closed down stalls, there was a tall orange tree.

It stood beautiful amidst the ghost market, alive. Its leaves were glowing and the wet grass below its shadow was as inviting as ever. It was spring, so there weren’t many fruit lefts on its branches, most of them either picked by children or fallen to the ground.

Mingyu wordlessly approached the tree than had been his favourite place in this village to sit below of. Like a flash, he remembered all the times he sat there with Minghao, playing their games. He remembered all the times he had sat alone with his thoughts, his hopes and wishes. In his mind, he saw himself growing up before his eyes, always sitting on that grass with the cool wind blowing against his face.

He remembered how he had thought he was going to propose to the girl he fell in love under that tree.

Mingyu walked closer and stood on his tippy toes to grab an orange that had grown on one of the biggest branches. He pulled it free and held it close to his body, as if he was holding something precious.

Then, he turned to Wonwoo, who was watching him from the road thoughtfully. He walked over to him and silently handed the orange to him.

Wonwoo looked at it confused at first, but he put it in the pouch that was hanging off his waist anyway.

“What was that for?” he asked Mingyu gently.

“I love you.” Mingyu said seriously. “And I wanted you to have this.”

Wonwoo couldn’t have understood what this orange tree meant for Mingyu, they had never talked about it. Still, he could probably understand the heavy emotional load because he leaned in and kissed Mingyu softly.

Mingyu placed his hands around the other’s waist and let himself get lost in the kiss. They kissed for a long time in front of the orange tree, the kiss never getting deeper. In the end, it was Wonwoo who pulled back first.

“I love you too.” he said simply.

And with that, they walked away. They passed the entrance of the village and started following trails in the forest which would hopefully lead them to the shelter at the bottom of the mountain.

From then on, the world was theirs to explore.

~~~

~~~

10 years later…

“So, I might have done something.” Mingyu said, running to the couch of the living room where Wonwoo was sitting.

“Should I be worried?” Wonwoo asked, not looking up from the multiple papers that were spread around him on the short table in front of the couch.

Their house wasn’t big, but it wasn’t an apartment like so many of those on the town. They made decent money together, and they could afford a normal house, not unlike Wonwoo’s previous one.

After years of traveling around the country, they had found a town at the edge of the ocean that was just too beautiful to leave behind. They had built their home there. They got to know their neighbours too, and this time, Mingyu made sure that they wouldn’t think anything bad for Wonwoo. They didn’t flat out tell anyone that they were a couple, but after a few years of their neighborhood getting used to them, there probably wasn’t a single soul that couldn’t tell.

Wonwoo was never called a witch again after his name spread around the country, accompanied with the huge accomplishment of curing a plague that would have killed hundreds more if they hadn’t stopped it when they did.

He slowly established himself as an inventor, and even if outsiders were still weary of him in the beginning, the people who knew him could always vouch for the integrity of his character.

Mingyu went to work with the mayor, as a person knowledgeable of most of the affairs of the towns and villages of their country. He was one of the few people who had visited them all in the past, and his insight was invaluable when making trading deals.

It took a few years for them to settle down, but after they did, they sent a letter to Minghao to inform him of their whereabouts. The reply had been a ten-page essay about him coming to visit them soon with this friend of his, Junhui, who was a merchant that had taken to visit their village every month, and he might have not been a prince or a witch, but he was _decent._

Which, in Minghao’s language meant he was the most fascinating person he had met in ages.

Minghao also told them how he ended up getting married and living with Kyulkyung, but everybody and their pets knew they just did it to get their parents off their backs. After all, Mingyu’s father needed an excuse to let Minghao inherit all his properties after he passed, and having a wife to take care of was enough to justify the gesture, even if they never ended up having children.

All in all, life was continuing, both for Mingyu and Wonwoo and their old village. And as far as Mingyu was concerned, his life had turned out the best it could.

“No, little bird, don’t be worried.” Mingyu leaned down and kissed his lover’s cheek. “But you might want to see this.” he said and sat on the couch next to Wonwoo.

He was holding a book in his hands. A small one, easy to hide beneath his clothes. He had made sure Wonwoo had never seen it until this day.

“What is this?” Wonwoo asked curiously, leaning his head on Mingyu’s shoulder and taking a look at the leather cover.

“I told you one day I was going to make you see how amazing you were from my point of view.” Mingyu said. “Here it is then. Everything we have been through from my perspective.” he handed Wonwoo the book.

“Mingyu, this is…”

“What you deserve.” Mingyu said firmly. “What you have always deserved. And just so you know, I intend to write down everything you mean to me until I’m too old and unable to write anymore. And then, I will sit next to you and verbally tell you how amazing you are, until I have no more breaths left in me.”

Wonwoo practically threw himself in Mingyu’s lap, hugging him tightly.

“I love you so much Mingyu. I love you so much, that I’m starting to love myself too. Thank you.” Wonwoo said, voice heavy with emotions.

“Well, go on then. Read the prologue.” Mingyu kissed his temple as he patted his back. “I can’t wait for your reaction.”

Wonwoo pulled back and carefully opened then book.

_~~~_

_Prologue_

_It was almost midnight. The weather was clear, no clouds, no sign of rain. It was September, but someone could easily confuse the night as one of summer. There was a gentle breeze blowing around the whole village, a sweet lullaby for the people that were asleep._

_Back in the field I had spent his day in, the deep well in the middle of the apple trees stood silent. My father had dug very deep to find a stable supply of water, on a mountain where underground rivers weren't as common as in the countryside._

_The space between the surface of the earth and the water was something that human eyes would have never seen if they haven't pushed and pulled and made effort to uncover it._

_It was almost a different world between the rock, the soil, the underground life and the sunny atmosphere of the sky._

_Humans were never meant to watch their world from below. They couldn't imagine flipping it upside down and living with the surface of the earth below their feet, with the core of it as their sky. But even if they somehow managed to flip everything upside down, they still wouldn't think to look back at their own world and see it from a different perspective. Humans were closed minded. The only thing they could do was get a glimpse of the world below their feet by digging holes like my father and watch what appeared under the sunlight from the safety of above._

_But that night, the autumn air happened to blow with a little more force than it usually did. A small flower from the blooming apple trees I had watered detached from its branch. The air carried it around the field, made it dance among the others of its kind that were standing still, waiting to fall off of their trees and die to give way to apples. But the wind wouldn't let that particular flower follow the fate it was supposed to._

_The flower was carried all the way to the well. It stood above it for a second and then the air suddenly disappeared, causing it to silently drop down. It went down and down, somewhere so deep that no flower of its kind was ever meant to exist. It transcended its world like no human could have done. It naturally glided between the rocks and the worlds and it kept descending._

_And when it hit the water and started floating peacefully, the sky was still above it, the moonlight faintly reaching its petals. The little flower was finally looking at the human's world from below._

_A flock of sparrows was resting somewhere near the top of the mountain. They were squeaking loudly at each other, unwillingly sharing food and shelter from the harsh wind and predators of the night. The animals weren’t bothered that two members of their flock never made it back from their morning search of food. Unlike humans, they probably didn’t even notice whenever some of their kind went missing._

_Animals were thought to see and feel a lot less than humans. They didn’t have powerful minds, or a sense of logic. They only had their instinct, which made them inferior organisms to the all-seeing humans._

_The wind blew and the skies were clear. There were so many stars, planets, and even galaxies to see in the night sky from atop the mountain. The humans on the village looked on, as if those stars, planets and galaxies were ever going to get closer._

_The sparrows though, weren’t stranded at the ground, only able to look longingly at the sky. In the middle of the night, one took off, separated from the rest of the flock and decided to fly on it, map it with its wings. It turned its back on the moon and looked the world of the humans from the above._

_That sparrow, even with its unevolved brain, had a perspective of the earth no human had managed to understand. The earth was too small compared to the infinity of the sky. That was something the sparrow knew, something that was in its blood._

_But humans just stayed rooted on the earth, not even once thinking about how it would be to flip their world upside down and look at it from above. So that one sparrow that flew against the wind at the top of the mountain, the sky below its feet and the ground above its head, looked down on the all-knowing humans with pity._

_At midnight, even the lively market of the village that was atop the mountain quieted down. The stalls were covered with wood and cloth, a mediocre attempt to block any thieves to steal the goods. Humans can get like that. When they are suffering, they don’t realize that there are others exactly like them who are suffering. They lose the ability to look around them, get a real grasp of the world they so stubbornly refuse to look away from. Not only they only look the Earth from its surface, but because of the filters they put in their brains, they can’t even look at its real form._

_There was a lone orange tree a little before the middle of the long road to the exit of the village. Every winter it bore its fruits, and every winter, the adults ignored its fruits and bought those from the stalls next to it. They blindly refused to taste what the lone orange tree had to offer because it didn’t grow in a field with trees similar to itself, because its fruits were not sold in stalls along the rest of the oranges._

_The lone orange tree was different amidst the market. And because of that, nobody wanted to taste its fruits._

_Little did the villagers know that those oranges were the freshest they could find. Little did they know that they possessed sweetness that came from the natural sunlight and water, not special soil and programmed watering._

_But the lone orange tree stayed there amongst those people, because its roots didn’t allow it to leave. Everyday, it gazed at everyone coming and going, it took in the colours and the sounds. It saw the world it had grown up clearly, with no filter, while it kept wondering from how many different perspectives it would have been able to see the same market if it hadn’t been rooted to the ground._

_I fell asleep side by side with Wonwoo, with the earth below my back and facing towards the sky, gazing at a world that wasn’t mine._

_And even though my eyes were seemingly closed, they were only now starting to truly open._

_This story might make you feel like waking up. While reading it, you might realize that your soul was blind, carefully kept in a deep sleep inside your chest. You need to remember, there is no need to be afraid of waking up._

_For now though, sleep child, sleep._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's over.
> 
> Oh my god it's over. There are actual tears in my eyes I can't believe it!
> 
> This fic is so special to me, I can't even begin to explain its importance to my life. Aside from the fact that it was the first long fic I have ever completed and posted (which was a huge boost for my confidence and motivation), I wrote this in a really tough period of my life so I can't help but feel like this came straight from my soul. 
> 
> As parting words, I want to say this. Maybe you felt closer to Mingyu in this story, maybe you felt closer to Wonwoo, but what's really important to keep in my mind is that there is both a Mingyu and Wonwoo inside us. There is a creative part, something that is full of potential that we somehow suppress (Wonwoo and the village) and there is also a part of us that is trying to help us free our potential, give us everything we need to flourish as people (Mingyu). Maybe this is a romance fic but it helped me discover a different side to self love I had no idea existed. All I'm saying is, let the Mingyu inside you love you, and don't be afraid to unleash your inner Wonwoo. It will be worth it in the end.
> 
> Enough of my rumbling though, I should keep these ideas for the next fic to come. That's right! I'm writing more (but not a part 2 of this)!!! It is a circus au, a long, full of action and mystery, circus adventure! Wonwoo's personality in my upcoming work did an 180 from this one because I like to challenge myself lol. So get ready because we're going to the magical world of the circus next!
> 
> It's not completed though, I'm about halfway done so I'm going to wait to finish it before I start uploading because I really don't trust myself to actually complete it. (Edit: well LoOk At tHat I actually finished it! First chapter is uploaded on my profile :D)
> 
> Anyway, that's all your friendly neighborhood garden fairy had to say. I will reply to all comments on this chapter for the next five days, so feel free to ask me anything. 
> 
> As always, thank you for reading, feedback is always appreciated! I hope I see you soon on my next fic!


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